Ahh I'm really sorry I've replied to nobody's reviews, I really like thanking you all individually! But I've been working nonstop the last three days and pretty much just updating when I get a spare moment. Just please everyone you must know how much I love you. Because I do. A lot.

VII.

Reflection

Erza dreamed she was floating.

Not flying, like usual. Just floating. There wasn't anything around her but darkness. No light, no sound. She couldn't even see her own hands, it was so dark. And she was tired. Erza didn't know you could be tired in a dream. Could you possibly be so sleepy that you fell asleep in your dream? What would happen then? Would there be some Inception-style multilayered dream? Was that happening to her right now, and she was just on the very bottom layer? Was this limbo?

All the thinking made Erza's head ache. Usually, when Erza realized she was in a dream, her body would jolt awake. But she had been aware of her state for...oh, she didn't even know how long.

She tried to clutch at her head, but her arms wouldn't listen. Sluggishly, she tried moving them, to no success.

What's happening to me? Erza thought. Am I dying?

Her heart missed a beat out of fear. Suddenly, she wasn't floating in the blackness, but falling at terminal velocity.

Then she jolted awake, jerking her knee and crashing into the store counter. A vase of roses fell on the floor and smashed.

"Erza!" Kagura came whipping around, staring at the vase in horror. "What happened?"

"I..." Erza trailed off, still disoriented. What was she doing behind the counter? Had she fallen asleep on the job?

A wave of guilt crashed over her. Kagura was still staring, demanding an explanation.

"I think I fell asleep," Erza swallowed.

"You what?" Kagura started, but Simon came around the corner with a broom and dustpan. He tapped his sister on the head with the broom, effectively making her quiet.

"Don't be so harsh," he said. Turning to Erza, he narrowed his eyes. "You don't look too good."

"This is what happens when you stay awake at night texting Fernandes," Kagura snapped. Erza shook her head, still trying to make sense of things. She'd crashed early last night, and woke up with her face in her homework.

Outside the store window, it was still fairly dark out. The clock read seven AM. Erza was doing her quick before-school shift.

But this had never happened before. Erza was an early riser by nature. That was why she had time to run shifts before school in the first place.

Simon was still arguing with Kagura. "Look how pale her face is," he said, pointing. "She doesn't look healthy!"

Erza shook her head. Clearing her throat, she spoke up. "Please, I'm all right. Lucy will be here soon, I should be ready for her."

Simon looked like he wanted to argue further, but Kagura cut him off. "Clean this up," she told him, gesturing to the smashed vase. Then she walked away briskly, leaving Erza and Simon in awkward silence.

"I'm sorry," Erza said morosely.

"Don't be." Simon shook his head. "You should be staying home from school today."

"I can't," Erza said immediately, although she couldn't remember why. Monday. Something was supposed to happen today. "I'm meeting Ultear about late softball tryouts."

Simon's face softened. He knew how much that meant to Erza. "All right," he said. "But just...take it easy, okay?"

Erza nodded. Then she pulled off her apron, making her way to the door as just as Lucy pulled up.

Seeing Lucy was like crawling out of a dark cave and seeing the sunlight again. Erza hadn't realised how much she'd missed her friend. Instantly she was beside her, throwing her arms out. Lucy wrapped her in a tight hug.

They didn't say much of anything. Lucy had lost weight, Erza noticed. That familiar HU hoodie smelled terrible.

Erza waved a quick goodbye at Kagura and Simon. She completely forgot about her homework upstairs. By second period, she had her head on her desk and was sleeping again.

"We should do something."

Yukino looked around the cafeteria table. Sting and Rogue has their DS' out, and were playing Pokémon. Erza rested her head on Jellal's shoulder. Gray was stealing Natsu's food and throwing it at his hair, while Juvia sat a little awkwardly off to the side.

Sting's head surfaced, tearing his eyes forcefully off the screen. "Hm?"

"Look at us!" Yukino gestured around. "Look how many friends we have! Why don't we hang out after school and, I don't know, do something."

"Sounds fun," Jellal said. "Group date? Where?"

"The arcade," Natsu, Gray, Sting, and Rogue all said at once. Yukino puffed out a breath.

"Really, guys?" She asked. She looked at Jellal. "The arcade?"

He shrugged. Erza's head wobbled on his shoulder, and he stilled while the others snickered. "They like the arcade."

"Juvia thinks it sounds fun," Juvia piped up. Half the table looked at her in surprise; she never spoke around them.

But Gray seemed unfazed. "See?" he said. "You all are outvoted. Arcade it is."

Erza blinked slowly, opening her eyes. "I can't go right away," she said. "Softball tryouts. And we should invite Lucy and Levy."

"Who're they?" Sting asked.

"Our cooler friends," Yukino told him. "They were too cool to have lunch with us today. They were studying."

"Wow, how cool." Sting grinned. "Makes us look like real losers."

"They really will be cooler when you've dropped out of school," Rogue jabbed. He seemed pretty eager to get back to his game.

"Whatever," Yukino said loftily. She kicked both Sting and Rogue's shins under the table. "I'm calling Levy."

The computer lab was supposed to be quiet, which was a problem for Gajeel, so Levy ended up taking him and her notes down to shop class. But now she faced a new problem - she could barely hear over the sound of drills and hammers.

"What?" She said again, blocking one ear with her finger.

"The arcade," Yukino was saying. "Group date. Tonight at six. You in?"

Levy glanced over. Lucy was sitting on the hood of her Jeep, doing homework while Gajeel studied the car. "Is it cool if I bring someone else?"

"Sure, the more the merrier!" Yukino's voice was bright. "And make sure Lucy comes, okay? She's been acting like a total loser."

"Yeah, I know. I'll see you tonight!" Levy wasn't sure if Yukino said goodbye before hanging up the phone, because it was too noisy in the shop to really tell. Levy wandered over to Lucy and Gajeel, hands over her ears.

"Is it necessary for it to be so loud in here?" She demanded.

Gajeel grinned. "You're the one building a shop in my garage," he said. His voice was naturally loud enough to be heard over the noise. "Get used to it."

"Guess what?" Lucy was smiling, something Levy hadn't seen in so long it seemed unfamiliar. "Gajeel says he can do some repairs, make my Jeep way cooler!"

"I didn't say 'way cooler,'" he replied with extra snark. Levy grinned. She loved seeing Gajeel make new friends.

"Anyways," she said. "We've been invited to the arcade tonight. Who's in?"

"Can't, babysitting." Lucy's reaction was immediate. She didn't even lift her eyes to meet Levy's. "I've been down on money recently."

Levy frowned. "Well, that's going to be a problem, seeing as Yukino made it mandatory that you be there."

Lucy almost smiled. "Look, I'd love to," she said sadly. "But I can't afford it. Next time, okay?"

Levy puffed out her cheeks. But Lucy looked so miserable, she couldn't argue. "Are you coming?" She asked Gajeel instead.

"No."

"Well, too bad, you're my ride meaning you have to come anyway."

Gajeel pouted, but didn't put up much of a fight.

Monday was the only day that week Juvia didn't have work, and she'd been planning to use that time to go home and prep herself for the group date that evening. She didn't know at what point those plans changed to her going over to Gray's house for dinner, but here she was.

And apparently, dinner at the Milkovitch-Bastia-Fullbuster residence consisted of grabbing things from the freezer and microwaving them. Juvia had previously been unaware of Gray's addiction to Hungry Man dinners, but you learned something new every day.

"I hope you aren't used to glamorous dinners, Juvia," Ur said from where she lounged in front of the TV. "We're not exactly gourmet chefs."

"It's fine," Juvia beamed, from where she perched on the edge of the couch. Unlike her son, talking to Ur was as simple as breathing. She had an easy smile and warm eyes. "Juvia doesn't mind at all."

"That's right," Lyon said, sidling into the room. He leaned on the couch armrest beside her. "Juvia's not a high maintenance gal. She's exactly our type."

When he said 'our,' Juvia got the feeling he meant 'my.' Juvia inched away from Lyon ever so slightly. Ur seemed to notice, because her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Back off, Lyon. She's Gray's girl."

Juvia's face flamed. "Er, no – I'm not-"

Lyon made a face at his foster mother. "Shut up," he said, ever so eloquently.

A door slammed, and seconds later Ultear sauntered into the room, still dressed in full softball gear. There was mud smeared on her face. Juvia always thought that, if Ultear scowled less and smiled more, she'd look exactly like her mother. Today, Ultear's face was somewhere in between.

"Erza Scarlet," she said, "is a demon. I'd kill her if I wasn't so happy she was on my team." Ultear looked at Juvia, and tilted her chin. "Hey, you're gonna see her tonight, right? Tell her she's in."

"Tell her yourself," Gray said as he came in from the kitchen, plastic fork hanging out of the corner of his mouth. "Come with us."

"I'll go as well," Lyon cut in smoothly, smiling slyly. Gray pulled out the plastic fork and pointed it at him.

"You, sir," he said, "are too old. You're a downer."

"What? I am not."

"Are too. You're a geezer."

"I'll buy you all booze."

Gray paused, apparently taking a moment to consider it, before Ur clapped her hands. "No he's not!" She declared, and pointed at Lyon. "No, you're not."

Ultear sighed. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"Your face is an idiot," Gray shot back irritably.

"What? That was the worst comeback I've ever heard, you're such a loser."

"Shut up!"

Juvia giggled. It was only a small giggle, but it was enough to make the room go silent. Everybody was staring. She blinked. "What?"

"Juvia," Lyon managed, "that was the cutest thing I've ever heard."

"Lyon, you're so lame," Ultear said. "But seriously, Juvia. I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before."

Gray had an odd look on his face. Juvia glanced at him, and tilted her head.

He cleared his throat. "C'mon, it's time to go." He looked resolutely over at Ultear. "Are you coming, or what?"

She was smirking. "I already have plans," she said, "Shopping with Meredy. You two have fun though." Her eyes flickered over to Juvia, and she winked.

Juvia, more than a little unnerved, stood to follow Gray. She made a point to thank Ur very much for dinner, who merely smiled and told her she was welcome anytime. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as they left.

"Sorry," Gray said, once they were outside. "My family's insane, I swear."

"They're lovely," Juvia told him. Then she cheered a little on the inside. It was getting easier talking to Gray as well, and every small word was counted as a victory.

But Gray never seemed to notice whether she spoke or simply nodded. He must have been incredibly non-observant, or was simply used to weird. Juvia was grateful either way.

"We've gotta pick up Dragneel, so I hope you don't mind," Gray said as they approached the minivan. "Stay in the front though. There's a 50% chance he'll barf on something, and I don't want that something to be the front dash."

Juvia giggled again, and Gray's hand slipped on the keys. "Right, let's go," he mumbled, wrenching the door open.

Gajeel and Levy were the first ones to get to the arcade, so she took it upon herself to get them started. The money for the tokens, of course, came from Gajeel's pocket, as Levy argument of "I'm broke" was fairly solid. Gajeel was trying to maintain a bored face, but Levy was determined to shatter it. She did a pretty good job when the first game she led him to was House of the Dead 4.

Gajeel stared at her. "What."

Levy smirked, and pushed a few tokens in. "I read all the Walking Dead graphic novels way before the show started," she informed him, hefting the plastic gun in her arms. "I'll have you know, I'm a zombie killing genius."

Gajeel snorted. "Yeah, right," he said, eyeing the way she rested the shotgun against her skinny frame. As Levy quirked an eyebrow, he crossed his arms and waited.

The second the game started, his jaw went slack. "What."

"I told you!" Levy cried in triumph as she shot zombie after zombie with perfect accuracy. When the screen called for a reload, she swung the gun off-frame, clicked once, and had it back on target in a millisecond. "Zombie killing genius!"

"Right." The next second, Gajeel had pushed a few tokens in and was holding the gun for Player 2. "Well, in the event of a zombie apocalypse, I know exactly who I'm sticking with."

Levy laughed, and shot a zombie in the forehead right before it reached Gajeel's side of the screen. He gaped. "Uh, thanks."

"No problem!"

They played for a solid fifteen minutes, and it didn't take very long for the two of them to beat the game without a single death. Levy cheered. "I beat my own high score!" She cried, pointing to the screen where her name flashed a good three times in succession.

"Do you spend a lot of time at the arcade," Gajeel teased. It wasn't much of a question; the answer was pretty obvious.

"Shut up." Levy was far too happy to care. "I never did this well with Jet or Droy! Ah, fighting zombies with those two losers will never be the same again!"

Gajeel gave her the side-eye. "Those friends of yours?"

"Uh, yeah, from the trailer park." Levy's voice slowed a little. She hadn't thought about the trailer park in several days. The reminder poked a hole in her elation.

Gajeel made to say something, although what he might have said, Levy wasn't sure. He couldn't have done much to improve her mood, considering his lack of tact. Luckily, she was saved finding out by the arrival of Sting and Yukino breezing into the arcade, while Erza, Jellal, and Rogue trailed in after, looking sick.

"Okay, what happened?" Levy asked Yukino, an eyebrow raised.

Yukino smiled brightly. "We passed Gray on the way here, and decided to have a drag race," she chirped. "We won."

Rogue groaned, and curled up on the floor. "Never again. I'm never driving with you two again."

"It's like...they feed off each other," Jellal said weakly. "They become one force of dark matter in the driver's seat." His knees were knocking. Erza collapsed into the chair beside him.

Levy eyed them. "Yukino, isn't your car back in the shop because you blew out the engine? Drag racing?"

Yukino's smile faltered. "Um."

Gray stormed into the arcade, marching right up to Sting. "Oi, cheater! I demand a rematch, you only won because you ran that red light!"

Juvia entered a second later, supporting a green-faced Natsu on one arm. "Gray-sama!" She chided. "You drove too fast!"

The group had somewhat conglomerated around House of the Dead 4. Yukino introduced Levy, who in turn introduced Gajeel. Everyone else went around and introduced themselves, and although Levy didn't need it – she knew who they all were anyway – the gesture was oddly nice. Rogue even shook her hand, once he was standing up again.

Levy missed the way Gajeel's eyes narrowed, and the way his posture turned steely. So when Gajeel promptly challenged Rogue to a duel of something – anything – it came as a bit of a shock to Levy, and no one else.

"He likes her," Jellal observed. Natsu glanced up, and followed his gaze. He was looking at the DDR, where Gajeel and Levy were stomping away while the others cheered.

"Yeah," Natsu agreed. "He does."

"They seem like really cool people," Jellal continued, leaning back on his hands. Erza's head was resting in his lap. She was sleeping again. Earlier, Juvia had informed her that she'd gotten a spot on the softball team, and there had been a brief moment of joy in her eyes. She had even managed to play one game, before curling up against Jellal.

Natsu eyed the two of them. Then he looked over at Gajeel and Levy again. Sting and Yukino were arm in arm with Rogue, squishing him uncomfortably between them. Juvia stood off to the side a little, until Gray grabbed her arm and pulled her a little closer, demanding they go next.

He deflated a little more. His phone seemed to weight down his pocket.

Jellal turned to face him. "Natsu," he said, "you know, whatever's bothering you, you can tell us."

"Hn." Natsu made sure not to look at him.

"I don't know what happened on Halloween – and I know we may haze you a lot – but we're your friends. We'll listen."

Jellal sounded sincere, and that only made Natsu feel ten times worse. "I'm fine," he lied. "Just need some air, I think. Be right back."

He got up to leave. Jellal looked like he wanted to follow, but with Erza weighing him down, he couldn't move. He settled for watching Natsu leave, burning holes into the back of his jacket.

Outside the arcade, Natsu breathed in the fresh air. He unzipped his jacket, letting the breeze in. Not for the first time that night, he took out his phone and scrolled through the email's address book. Of course, she wasn't there – he'd deleted her, after all.

"Hey."

Natsu glanced behind him. It was Gajeel, leaning against the wall and sliding down to sit. "S'up?"

Checking his phone one last time, Natsu went to sit beside him. "Ah, nothing. Just needed a break from having too many dumbasses in one room."

Gajeel snorted. "Yeah, I hear you on that one. You have some really dumbass friends."

"Yeah, I know."

"Like Sting."

"Yup. Total assface."

"And Rogue."

Natsu was starting to grin. "What, you don't like Rogue? Jealous?"

Gajeel barked out a laugh. "Of what? I beat his high score on the Hammer."

"Yeah, and then he declared you his rival."

"Yeah. Is that normal around here?"

"Pretty much." Natsu started ticking off his fingers. "Gray's my rival. So is Sting. Jellal was at one point. Hey, you could be one too!"

Both of them were chuckling now. Without really noticing, Natsu checked his phone again. Gajeel leaned forwards. "Okay, what's up with that?"

"Hm?" Natsu glanced up. "Oh, uh - nothing."

"Nothing, my shiny metal ass. You've been glued to that thing all night."

Natsu bit back a snort, but half of it escaped. "No, it's actually nothing. There's nothing for me to look at. I'm just, like...addicted to checking it."

"Oh?" Gajeel raised a studded eyebrow. "There's a story there somewhere."

Natsu smiled wryly. "Yeah. I..." and he trailed off. Somehow, his voice had gotten caught in his throat.

Gajeel heaved a sigh, moving his legs so they were sticking straight out. "All right," he huffed. "Start from the beginning."

Natsu still didn't trust himself to talk. He'd kept this all to himself for so many weeks now, saying something out loud felt wrong.

But Gajeel, like Jellal had observed, seemed like a pretty cool dude. And he told Natsu to start from the beginning.

So he did.

"Wow." Gajeel whistled, long and low, several minutes after Natsu finished. "That... really kinda sucks."

"Yeah." Natsu laughed without humour. "It really kinda does."

Gajeel was silent for several moments. Then he ventured out with, "Do you wanna vent your frustrations out through a death-match on DDR?"

Natsu grinned. "Hell yes." He scrambled to his feet, Gajeel following. "Be prepared to lose, metalface."

"Ha! I'll kick your sorry ass into next month."

Lucy woke up on a couch in a house that was not her own, with an unfamiliar weight pressed against her stomach. For a minute she panicked; then she saw the TV and the princess movie playing, and relaxed. She was in Alzack and Bisca's house. That weight on her stomach was Asuka. They must have fallen asleep watching the movie.

Gingerly, Lucy sat up. She made sure to gather Asuka in her arms before carrying the little five-year-old up to her bedroom. It was dark outside, but Lucy didn't bother to turn on any lights as she manoeuvred around. She set Asuka in bed and pulled the covers up tightly.

The clock read just past midnight. The Connells should be home any minute now. Lucy went back downstairs, to settle on the couch and watch the rest of the movie. Her eyes were just starting to close again when the door opened.

"Hi!" Lucy pulled herself up, switching off the TV and heading over to the entrance hall. "How was your date?"

"Wonderful, thank you, Lucy." Bisca pulled her into a quick hug. She smelled like perfume. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

"Probably get a new babysitter," Alzack joked, slipping off his shoes.

Bisca swatted at her husband. "Hush," she chastised lightly. The she turned back to Lucy, pulling out her wallet. "Asuka loves you to pieces. If we got another babysitter, she might pull some sort of horribly malicious prank. What are we going to do next year if you're all the way at Hargeon?"

"I'm sure you'll find someone," Lucy answered, eyeing Bisca's wallet. Bisca always tried to give her too much money, and Lucy always had to refuse it.

As expected, Bisca added an extra twenty. "Here's fifty," she said, and when Lucy shook her head, she held the bills out to Lucy's face. "Take them! It's a gift. Use it to buy a dress for Homecoming. It's in a few days, right?"

Lucy hesitated, then nodded. "On Friday."

"Good. That'll give you just enough time." When Lucy still didn't take the money, Bisca raised an eyebrow. She waited until Alzack went upstairs to check on Asuka, then turned to Lucy. "Why aren't you going to Homecoming?"

Bisca's voice was soft. Lucy lowered her eyes. "I...just reasons."

"Is it your stepfather?" Bisca's eyes narrowed. "Is he not letting you go?"

"Well, I haven't asked him yet." But if the last dance was any indication, Lucy thought wryly, he would say no. "But I don't really feel like going."

"But all your friends will be there!"

Lucy swallowed, thinking of the group date everyone had tonight, without her. "They've got new friends."

Bisca's brows furrowed. Then a sly look came over her face. "And the reason you aren't fond of these new friends is that they're all boys?"

"I-" Lucy stopped. "Well, maybe?"

Bisca sighed, and patted her on the shoulder. "Take the fifty, Lucy, and buy a dress for Homecoming. And think about this while you're at it – are your friends ditching you, or are you ditching your friends?"

Lucy blinked, as Bisca gave her another hug. She stepped outside, closing the door behind her, tugging on the strings of her hoodie. As the last lights in the house went off, Lucy glanced down at the fifty dollars in her hand.

"Homecoming," she said out loud. It sounded strange, coming out of her mouth.

Then she remembered – Salamander would probably be there. And that was the singular reason she wasn't going in the first place.

Yukino was clapping in tandem with others before she realised Sting had been missing for a solid five minutes. She glanced around, but was unable to see him. She nudged Rogue, asking if he'd seen him. Rogue shrugged, and pointed to the back door. "Thanks," Yukino said, heading out.

Sting was leaning out on the balcony, face in shadow above the streetlights. "Hey," she called. "You vanished on me. I panicked for a second."

Sting glanced over his shoulder. "Sorry," he said. "I got a text."

Yukino ambled over, leaning on the railing beside him. "Yeah? From who?"

Sting didn't answer, merely flashed her his iPhone. There was a single message from the bottom, unanswered. Will you be my date to Homecoming?

Yukino tilted her head. "Well, aren't you the popular one? Who's it from?"

"Minerva."

Yukino sucked in a breath.

Sting wouldn't look at her. He dropped his hand, leaving Yukino staring blankly into space. "Do you want to go with her?"

"No."

"Then why don't you tell her so?" Yukino bristled. Sting didn't answer, but kept looking down. "You do want to go with her," Yukino accused. "You do!"

"I don't."

"Is it because you want to get back together with her?"

"No."

"Or just because you don't want to go with m-"

Sting didn't let her finish. He turned and kissed her, soft and slow, scraping his teeth against her bottom lip. "I do want to go with you," he murmured. "More than anything."

Yukino's knees were going weak. She wound her hands around the back of his neck, leaning into him. "Then tell her so," she whispered.

Sting pulled back a fraction. "Yukino, I-"

She kissed him this time, pressing all of her weight into him. He opened his mouth against her, putting one hand on the small of her back, the other tangling in her hair. She didn't stop until he was good and breathless.

"Not fair," he whined softly, as she pulled away.

"Why can't you just tell her no?"

Sting leaned his forehead against hers. "You know why," he said. "She's giving me an opportunity to save you."

Yukino leaned away. "I don't think I need protection."

"No I mean – it's not just you. Yukino, you know Minerva like I do. You know she won't be satisfied until the enemy has crumbled at her feet. She's not just going to come after you or me – she's going to come after all of us." He glanced back at the door into the arcade. "And after hanging out with everyone tonight – I mean, Natsu's already so down. Erza and Jellal, they're so happy. Juvia's finally talking like a normal person. And Gajeel and Levy – I mean, they seem nice and I really like them. And I just – I can't run the risk of putting them all in Minerva's way."

Yukino felt her gaze soften. "Sting, you may be an ass, but you're a real hero."

He smiled wryly. "So I've been told."

"But this is where I have to be the villain." She placed both hands on his shoulders. "Sting, as your girlfriend, I refuse to let you sacrifice Homecoming to save the rest of us. We can handle ourselves. Besides, what happened to the plan of taking Minerva down?"

Sting's smile grew a little more. "Pretty well. I'm not supposed to tell, but you're leading the votes for Homecoming Queen."

"Exactly, so-" Yukino stopped. "I am?"

"People like you." Sting kissed her again. "I like you."

"Then your answer lies before you, young grasshopper." Yukino gestured to his phone. "Tell her no."

Sting raised his phone. He typed a quick No, followed by and leave me alone. Yukino smiled in triumph.

"Good," she said. "And now that that's over with, let's talk about my dress so you know what tie colour to wear."

Sting groaned. "Ugh, I'd rather go play games."

Minerva's phone lit up the dark room. She reached over and read the message, eyes bored. Hm. Exactly what she'd expected.

Well, she'd given Sting his chance. Now he had no reason to complain when everything with his precious little group of friends went wrong. She glanced up at Flare, sitting in the chair across from her, hands folded tightly on her lap. "And you're sure?"

Flare nodded. "I saw the dress in her suitcase."

Minerva's lips twisted into a tight smile. Perfect. Everything was going to come together. She had one week to make everything perfect – but Minerva was a true schemer. She really only needed a day. Yukino wasn't going to win Homecoming Queen, because she wasn't even going to make it to Homecoming.

She dialed a quick number on her phone. It picked up on the second ring. "Hi, Angel. Is everything prepared?"

"Good."