CHAPTER 9

As soon as Rogue and Lucy returned to the barn, Rogue took the saddle off the horse and Lucy led the horse back into the barn, feeding him apples. As Rogue walked towards where Lucy stood, he came to a stop, looking at her smiling. No, he wasn't a creep. He just loved the smile on her face, it made her look so much better.

"I've always thought I was lonely…" Lucy started saying while patting the horse. Rogue wasn't sure if she noticed him standing there and was talking to him. But she looked up at him and smiled.

"But I was wrong. I realized I had many friends around me. Levy, Lisanna, Mira, Natsu and everyone else. Even you." she gave him a heart warming smile.

"What I was afraid of wasn't being alone, it was being loved and scolded I guess. I can't really express it in words, but I was afraid that I might kill someone again." Lucy said. At this point Rogue was a bit confused. What did she do wrong? She killed someone? Who? Why? How?

Lucy slowly walked towards Rogue and took his hand. She led him back to the villa and into the room that she slept in the night before. She sat him down onto a chair and she sat across from him.

"I- I feel responsible for my mother's death." Lucy said. "No, I am responsible for my mother's death. My father even said so. And when he said that I completely locked everyone, no matter who, out of my world." Lucy said.

The room was getting darker and darker as the sun began to set. Lucy looked out the window, Rogue sat there staring at Lucy who was on the verge of crying. No, she is crying, her heart is being torn apart just talking about it. He didn't want her to continue, didn't want her to cry. But he had to listen at least, hear her story.

"The car incident that happened a week ago. That triggered a memory that I stored at the back of my mind. It was within a cage, locked up. The key that opened it was the light of the car that almost killed me that night. But you saved me, and scolded me." Lucy smiled at the last sentence. "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that you saved me. Really."

Rogue was smiling at the sentence she just finished. Her small smile at what she said even though she was crying and hurting.

"The car… My mother got into a car accident. I was right there to witness it, and I was only 7 then. I was playing around with some other kids from rich families because it was a party for me. It wasn't my birthday, it was just a party. The kids and I ran around a lot in the yard, but we became a little too playful. We began to play hide and seek. I was the seeker and the kids were hiding. I couldn't find any of the other kids at all. So I wandered off to the front yard of our large mansion. My mother was looking for me and therefore followed me to the front yard. I was walking in the middle of a non-busy street, no cars in sign, until my mother pushed me and I heard screeching sounds of the the tire of the car that hit my mother." Lucy spoke.

She remembered it, the scene, the blood. She turned around and saw red, her mother lying on the ground. Tears were flowing down her small pink cheeks. She went to sit by her mother's head and told her to wake up, to open her eyes. So she cried mother really loud. Loud enough for people to start gathering, and finally someone called an ambulance.

"Apparently, the person driving the car was a crazy person who had mental issues. Instead of him having left his world, he took my mother. But as I grew a bit older, I began to think that it was I who caused her death." Lucy began to cry, her hand clutching the end of her pants she borrowed from Rogue, wrinkling them, but he didn't care. Her knuckles were getting white from squeezing too hard.

Rogue started moving, he got up from his chair and went to sit next to Lucy, taking her hand and holding it.

"It isn't your fault. You were only a child back then. You didn't know the car was coming, it was a non-busy street that you grew up walking by almost everyday." Rogue said. "Don't blame yourself." Lucy cried into his arms.

"I know it's not my fault, but it keeps getting into my head. I sometimes tell myself that I don't even deserve to be laughing and smiling. But I tell myself to smile and laugh anyways, because I know Mama would want me to laugh and smile. I know she would tell me that it is not my fault." Lucy cried out. Rogue put his arms around her and squeezed her tightly and closer to his chest, he closed his eyes.

"What is happiness to you Lucy?" Rogue asked suddenly.

"Smiling. Laughing. Being loved and giving love." Lucy mumbled, sniffing.

"Yes. But happiness is also being gentle and caring. It also to believe and have hope. Your mother… She is probably being torn because of your tears right now. She does not blame you, nor your father. I do not blame you. No one blames you Lucy. Believe me, your mother would want you to be happy right now." Rogue whispered gently into her ears.

"How? How can I be happy if it keeps getting into my head? How can I be happy?" Lucy said.

"Be happy for your mother. For your father, your friends. For me." Rogue said. "What makes you happy Lucy?" he asked.

"What makes me happy?" she sniffed. He nodded. "Levy, Natsu, everyone. My father, my mother. You." she said. Rogue smiled.

"Every moment with you is my happiness." Rogue confessed. "You make me smile, you make me have feelings I have never had before. You helped me, now let me help you. Let me give you even more happiness. And you can give me more happiness." Rogue said.

Lucy smiled into his chest. 'Mama… Is it really okay to hold happiness? You must be in pain up there huh? I have been blaming myself for too long huh? I should set myself free of my foolish guilt I gave myself. Thank you Mama… For watching over me… For being here all along… I love you, Mama.'

"Thank you, Rogue. For being here for me. I have been foolish for the past few years now. I just continuously blamed myself. My father blamed me, but began to love me again, for he didn't blame me anymore. Because no one blamed me, I thought I should blame myself. I thought that no one wanted to tell me that I was to blame because I was so young. But really no one felt that way. I just pushed the guilt to myself. I always pushed myself towards happiness, but I was only hurting myself." Lucy said. She was no longer crying. "Thank you, really." She said and she dozed off.

Rogue shook her a little and realized she had fallen asleep. Her breathing was steady, and her eyes were puffy. His shirt wet from her tears. 'Gosh, I feel like I am responsible for making her cry.' He got up and carried her to the bed, he covered her in the blanket and removed her hair from her face. He slowly retracted his hand away from her and turned around to walk away. But her hand prevented him from moving any further away from the bed. Lucy was holding Rogue's hand, not letting go. Her eyes were closed.

"Don't leave me. Please." She silently said, but Rogue heard her. He uncovered the blanket and laid next to her. He put his left arm under her and pulled her closer to his chest. His right arm over her waist. His chin on top of her head.

"Goodnight, Lucy." Rogue whispered and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he too fell into darkness, a dream awaiting him.

Lucy woke up to feel something around her waist. She patted something hard in front of her and opened her eyes immediately. In front of her eyes was a big black chest, or to say a man's shirt. She slowly looked up and saw Rogue's sleeping face. 'What the hell is going on?!' Lucy exclaimed as she was confused why Rogue was on the same bed as her. She then recalled last night's conversation and how she just knocked out in his arms. 'Oh no. How embarrassing. And we were talking about Mama too…' A blush was seen on Lucy's face. She then shook the thought of last night away. Her eyes wandered to Rogue's face again. His chest was rising up and down, his eyes were closed. She reached her right hand up to touch his face. She traced the bridge of his nose and then touched his cheeks. Moving on to touching his lips. 'Ne… Mama… I think I have fallen in love with this man. Do you approve of him?' Lucy smiled to herself.

Suddenly a hand grab Lucy's hand and surprised her. It was Rogue's right hand.

"I know you want to touch my face and all, but I'm trying to sleep here. Seeing as to I couldn't really sleep with someone holding onto tightly." Rogue groggily said. Lucy blushed and took her hand away from his.

"Well sorry." Lucy pouted and turned the other way and covered her head. 'Was I really holding onto him so tightly last night?' Lucy thought embarrassingly.

"Hahaha. I'm just kidding. Come back here." Rogue said. He reached over to Lucy and uncovered the blanket. She turned to look at him, he smiled and pulled her back, squeezing her tightly against his chest for the hundredth time. "I- I love you Lucy." He blurted out.

Lucy's cheeks immediately turned red. She punched Rogue softly.

"And your reply?" He said softly.

"Idiot. What else?" She said and reached her head up and planted a soft but quick kiss onto his lips. Rogue froze for a moment. Lucy immediately hid in the blanket again.

Rogue laughed at Lucy's cute actions after that quick peck on the lips.

"Hey, you have to at least say it back." Rogue said. Lucy shook her head no. "Come on, I won't let go until you say it then." he said as he wrapped his arms around her body.

"Let go!" Lucy said as she tried to get out of his grasp. He shook his head no and uncovered the blanket from her head.

"I said I wouldn't let go until you say it." Rogue said mischievously.

"Damn you! Ahhh. Alright!" Lucy said and stopped moving. Rogue grew silent and waited for her confession. "I like you too." Lucy whispered with dark red cheeks. Rogue laughed.

"It was so quiet I could barely hear anything." he said. Lucy only pouted.

"I'm not saying it again." Lucy said. Rogue chuckled.

"It's alright, it's only the beginning. From here on, I will tell you 'I love you' everyday." Rogue spoke quietly to her.

"I will try to do that too." Lucy said shyly. Rogue smiled again.

"Let's go back to sleep." He whispered. Lucy nodded and the two dozed off once again.

That day, they went back to the city. Lucy had went to apologize to her father and cried into his arms. Though her father was confused, Lucy apologized over and over again. Her father at some point understood why she was apologizing, and he too cried.

A few days after returning, Lucy told Levy and the other girls about her and Rogue dating. The news somehow traveled to Gajeel because of a certain bluenett, and it the news went on to Natsu, who then blurted out everything to everyone. Sting at some point congratulated Rogue for finally getting a girlfriend until he realized that Rogue got a girlfriend before he could get one himself.

A few weeks had gone by and Lucy began working in her father's company again. The work between the Heartfilia and Cheney family was beginning to work out, and thus their family ties became strong.

"Work has been so hectic lately huh?" Lucy said as she sat next to Rogue.

"Yeah… And I am getting tired from all of it." he said. Lucy giggled and went to massage his shoulders. "Thanks Lucy. I hope your day was good." He said.

"Yeah, it was good. Nothing busy really, because Laxus had many things to do. Well, he is learning. He is going to become the Heartfilia heir after all." Lucy said.

"What? I thought you were the heir." Rogue questioned.

"I am the heir, but I gave it up. And since Laxus is a cousin of mine, I thought maybe he wanted to try. Being an heir is too big a hassle." Lucy said.

"What? You both were cousins?" Rogue said. Lucy nodded.

"I didn't tell you?" Lucy asked. Rogue shook his head. "Hmm… I thought I did. Oh well. Now you know." Lucy smiled. Rogue just smiled and let the conversation go. Lucy walked around the sofa and went to sit next to him. She leaned her head onto his shoulder and closed her eyes. Their hand intertwined.

'Ne… Mama… I'm happy now. Really happy. Thank you for giving birth to me. Thank you for letting me meet Rogue. I love him very much and he loves me too. I want to cherish this happiness forever. So Mama, don't worry about me anymore. I love you very much. Continue to watch over me from now on Mama. Thank you and I love you!'

"I love you." Lucy whispered.

"I love you too." Rogue whispered back.

~THE END!~

Hey guys & gals! This is the end of Love Again.

Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story. I feel like I kind of rushed the ending! But I felt like I was going to lose my motive for writing this story if I make it a little longer, SO! I'm ending it like this! Still hope you like it though!

BUT! Do expect an EPILOGUE though!

Anyways! Hope you like the ending! See ya!

~J