"Is this okay?" Lucy asked, taking a step closer to Gray. "It's getting pretty late."
Gray looked up at the hues of pinks and red painted across the sky. "It'll be okay," he said. He looked at Lucy with a lazy smile. "I'll protect you from anything."
Lucy blushed, which made Gray smile more. His eyes swept over her body, still amazed that she was just wearing a long-sleeved dress and a pair of thin-clothed boots. He was almost certain she wouldn't be wearing the boots at all if he hadn't asked her to, despite the cold weather.
"Where are we going, anyways?" Lucy asked. They were walking downhill, she knew, but she wasn't sure what was at the bottom of the path. With all the rocks and bumps, she was beginning to wonder if they were even on a path.
Gray didn't respond. He continued down the trail, watching Lucy to make sure she didn't fall. It wasn't long until they were stopping at a pond that was completely frozen. "I want to try something," he told her. He stepped on to the pond, which made her flinch. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him. "Don't worry, you won't fall through."
When both of her feet were planted firmly on the ice, Gray was pleased to see tiny trails of frost swirling on the ice below Lucy's feet. He had a similar pattern below his feet. The magic in his body automatically thickened the ice under his feet to protect him, and it seemed Lucy's magic was doing the same.
"Gray, I…" Lucy looked between the ice and Gray before biting her lip. She shifted slightly towards him, and the ice made a small crack!. She shrieked and grabbed his coat, pulling herself as close as possible. When strong arms wrapped around her, she looked up at Gray and his reassuring smile. She relaxed into his hold, knowing that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
Gray was amazed. When he first met Lucy, he took his protective nature towards her as a sign of her age, but he learned that wasn't quite true the case. Every moment spend with her made his heart warm in a way that it hadn't before, even with Cana. He felt as if Lucy was melting his heart bit by bit until all he could feel was joy. He had always made a pact with himself that he would only ever marry a Guardian, since he couldn't stand the thought of being in such a different world from his wife, but he had found himself thinking for the first time that he didn't care. Lucy had changed that about him. Now, seeing evidence that she was a Winter Guardian made him love her even more, if that was possible.
Gray rested his forehead against Lucy's. "Do you remember anything new?" he asked. "Anything about your family or friends?" He needed to know if she had a boyfriend where she came from before stumbling into his life.
Lucy closed her eyes. "I was alone all my life," she said, concentrating on the little fragments of her memory. "Then one day I was saved. I remember orange hair and a bright smile." She closed her eyes tighter together. "Loke. His name was Loke."
Gray felt his heart clench. Of course she had a boyfriend. It would have been too good to be true for her to be single.
"He left," Lucy continued. She opened her eyes. "And I was alone again. But I wasn't cold anymore. I was warm and...happy."
Gray tightened his hold on her waist and brought her lips to his. Despite the magic that took hold of her very essence, she was warm in his arms. And her lips were so, so soft. She sunk against him and he brought her even closer. Their lips would graze against each other a moment before they kissed once more. It felt like the air around them was warming. Gray took that as a reaction to his body heating up.
Until they fell through the ice, that is.
Gray and Lucy both gasped under water. They reached for each other, and Gray used his magic to freeze the whole lake. He warped the ice around him in order to move through the ice, and he wrapped his arms around Lucy before moving to the surface. Once they were safely on the ground again, the two finally breathed.
"Are you okay?" Gray asked. His eyes searched Lucy's, looking for any sign of pain.
Lucy groaned and grabbed her head. "I'm okay," she said. "My head just hurts a little."
Gray nodded. He assumed that she was too distracted to keep her magic flowing, which was why the ice gave way. "I'm sorry that happened," he told her, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I should have been more careful."
Lucy felt a shiver go down her spine, but she knew that it wasn't from the cold. Her mind became clouded, and she struggled to focus on Gray. His words began to run through her mind, and soon the words weren't his at all; they became someone else's.
"I'm sorry that happened. I should have been more careful."
"Why are you sorry? I'm the one that sprouted a vine through the window."
"I should have gave you better instructions. Growing plants can be tricky, and there are certain things you need to be careful of."
"Like what?"
"Windows are a concern, obviously, but it's mainly about how you handle it."
"What do you mean?"
"You're worried about where the plants are going. You need to feel the plants. Become the plant. Feel it's energy and harness it."
Lucy hummed and closed her eyes.
"What are you doing?" Gray asked, chuckling.
Lucy smiled. "I'm feeling." She suddenly became aware of all the trees around her, of all the plants frozen at the bottom of the pond, and of all the seeds waiting for spring so they can grow. Her eyes popped open. "I'm feeling a lot."
Gray grabbed Lucy's hands. "I'm feeling a lot, too," he said. "Especially that it's cold out and we need to get you warm."
Lucy looked behind Gray at the pine trees. The snow began melting off and turning to water. Wherever the water touched the snow melted, leaving a patch of green grass and flower sprouts. It felt right, but at the same time it scared her. "I think that's a good idea," she said.
Gray put his arm around Lucy's shoulders and began to lead her the opposite direction of the melted snow. Just before they were completely out of sight, Lucy looked back and watched as the grass turned brown and snow began to cover the area once again. She frowned, not liking the feeling of the the coldness in her chest.
X
Layla pulled her hood further over her face as she passed an elderly couple that she had known for many years. She feared that someone would recognize her. She was suppose to be dead, after all. That was why she had a hood, to cover her face as she walked through town.
It wasn't long before Layla was standing in front of a small house. The color of the brick was fading, and the shutters were nearly off of the walls. The front door looked as if it could use a fresh coat of paint, and the roof needed replaced. Despite all the flaws, the house was nearly as beautiful as it had looked the first time she saw it.
The first time she saw it Jude with standing next to her, a wide smile on his face as they prepared to walk into their new lives together.
The last time she saw it was when she told Jude that she was pregnant, all the color gone from his face.
Layla closed her eyes and tried to calm her beating heart. If Jude was inside, then she very well may die. With the sun nearly set, she knew that the Moon would carry on the message to Edolas. If Jude wasn't home, though, that meant he was planning something because he never left his house.
Layla didn't know which option she preferred.
As quietly as possible, Layla pushed open the door. She saw no immediate signs of life, making her relax. After quickly checking all the rooms, she saw that he really wasn't home.
For some reason that she couldn't understand, she was drawn to the door leading to the basement. She opened the door and slowly began descending the steps, not sure what she was going to find at the bottom.
Layla never expected to see this.
