He had already bought tickets for them and was currently sitting on a bench waiting patiently for her to arrive. He knew she would show up, that look she gave him before leaving to her house to pack was enough to let him know she liked him. He wasn't oblivious to her reactions when he got a little to close to her. He loved to play oblivious because it lightened up the mood and on top of that, it avoided awkwardness. He couldn't deny his own feelings for her, ever since he laid eyes on her. Since the fantasia incident he was a little weary that she could forgive him so easily, but knew better than to doubt the degree of forgiveness that Lucy could give. In his eyes, she was perfect…..for him. He knew the moment that he held her in his arms that they fit perfectly together like puzzle pieces. And moreover, they had almost identical pasts. If anyone could relate to him having lacked a loving family, it would be her. He knew everything that the blonde has gone through, having been "filled in" by Freed during the phantom lord incident when he was exiled from the guild. That man had no bounds when it came to gossip about anybody else but himself. His Rajinshuu sometimes reminded him of a gossip girl circle. The only one, who was more like him, was Bix, and that had scored Bix the title of Laxus' best friend. Laxus knew if he ever needed to confide in someone or needed advice Bix would be there to talk to and he wouldn't have to remain guarded because his best friend kept things to himself and had a down to earth look on life.

During his contemplations, he realized Lucy had just arrived to the train station and was currently searching for him. Laxus stood up and Lucy's search came to a halt. (I mean, seriously, who could miss a six-foot tall sexy blonde guy)

"Took you long enough…"

"Deal with it." Lucy retorts.

"Lets find a seat, IF there is any left. Then I'll brief you for the mission." Laxus says annoyed.

Laxus lead the way onto the train and proceeded until he found an empty room. After organizing his luggage in the compartments above the seats, he heard the door shut, as Lucy filed in.

As soon as he sat down, he was nearly floored as Lucy turned to put her luggage in the compartment on her side of the cabin. Her ass was only inches away from his lap and the way she arched her back to reach, made him lose his breath temporarily. As he was about to regain his composure, she smacked her bag to force it into the compartment and being on her tippy toes already, lost her footing. She ungracefully fell ass into his lap. As she squirmed to get out, he gripped her sides, digging his nails in from the force. He didn't have any other options but to stop her from moving altogether and couldn't help how much pressure he exerted onto her hips. Clenching his jaw and gritting his teeth he held her in place, he realized that her hair was the source of her strawberry vanilla scent. Lucy suddenly became self-conscious, Laxus had his nose in her hair, smelling her, but she didn't stop him instead she stayed deathly still. He pulled her ass down on himself, as his self-control was shredded. Her back immediately arched again and Laxus moved his arm from her hip to rub down the indent of her back. Lucy was already half lidded and breathing heavy and Laxus' ministrations were not helping her wanting body. As Laxus let go of her side, she knew she had to get out of his grasp. He felt Lucy get out of his lap and move to her seat. To say he was frustrated was an understatement, his raging hard on straining against his pants, he let out a sigh and readjusted his manhood. Lucy still trying to compose herself remained quiet and waited for Laxus to speak.

"Better be careful woman. Falling into a Lions cage is dangerous, you could get eaten." Laxus grinned.

"Thanks for the warning, but I'm not a little girl." Lucy states matter-of-factly. "I'm sure I can handle myself."

"So about the mission?" Lucy asks, trying to smooth out the awkwardness.

"Here." Laxus pulls a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and tosses it to Lucy.

Lucy read it aloud:

IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE HELP!

Destructive Wyvern needs to be relocated or destroyed!

PLEASE HELP US!

ONLY S-CLASS NEED APPLY!

CELESTIAL MAGE PERFERRED!

LOC: DAWN CITY

REWARD: 4 Million Jewels

Lucy didn't even flinch at the reward amount. Instead she eyed Laxus carefully.

"So, why in mavis name did you pick this job request?"

"I didn't pick it! Freed did." Laxus turned to look out the window, blushing a little.

It was the truth that in fact, Freed did pick the request and before Laxus could look over it, he had already taken it down to Mira to get approved. Laxus couldn't afford to gain a bad reputation when it came to canceling on requests! He never canceled on his request once and was damned if he started now. Lucy on the other hand was excited that he had let her go on the request instead of picking another celestial mage from a different guild.

"So how come you didn't bring the Rajinshuu with us?" Lucy asked blatantly.

Laxus looked back at Lucy, harrumphed, and said, " Freed said he had promised Mira he would help her with something guild related. Evergreen had promised to go on a mission with Elfman already, and Bix had plans to which I am not telling you."

"Oh." Was all Lucy replied not caring that he had said the last sentence rudely. She was so tired from crying lately that she didn't really have time to care. She drifted to sleep without even realizing she had. Laxus just watched her, amazed that she had fallen asleep so sudden. He finally had the chance to study her features, and what he saw, he wasn't pleased with. Her skin was a light sickly color, she had bags under her eyes, her hair was slightly disheveled, and dry tear streaks were slightly visible. To say Laxus was displeased was minimal at best. He sighed and thought it best to bug blondie about it later, for now, she needs rest, and he decided to drift off to sleep himself.

Lucy awoke the following morning to the sound of the PA.

"WE WILL BE ARRIVING IN CROCUS IN APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR"

Lucy thanked Mavis they hadn't missed their stop. She left to the bathroom to go clean up and find some breakfast for her and Laxus.

As Lucy shut the door behind her, Laxus peeked through one eye, trying to see the person who woke him. He grumbled and decided it best for him to wake up and get ready for the day. He left the room to get washed up and returned to see Lucy had finished her breakfast and his was on his seat. He thanked her after finishing his food and waited for their departure.

"WE WILL BE ARRIVING IN CROCUS IN APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES. PLEASE HAVE YOUR BAGGAGE READY TO DEPART"

After a couple minutes of awkward Silence, Lucy cleared her throat.

"So I presume we are splitting the reward in half?"

Laxus only smirked, "THAT is the only thing you are worried about? Shouldn't we be worried about the wyvern that could possibly kill us?"

"Nope, I'm not worried. Should we be?" Lucy placed her finger on her chin, and continued, "You ARE a DRAGON slayer." She emphasized on some words, she immediately got a huge smile as stated rather sweetly, "unless your unable to perform?"

Laxus' jaw dropped, he couldn't believe this woman! Lucy put a hand over her mouth to contain the laughter but some was spilling out.

"I am built to take down dragons, so why wouldn't I be able to take down a tiny wyvern. Besides you couldn't handle all this, baby."

"Oh sure." Lucy retorted coldly.

"NOW ARRIVING AT CROCUS STATION. PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAKE ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS! THANK YOU! HAVE A GREAT DAY!"

Laxus and Lucy stepped off the train.

"Lets grab lunch?" Laxus asked her. He was starving and that breakfast he ate earlier was hardly a snack.

"That sounds good but afterwards I need to stop at a magic shop!" Lucy said excitedly.

"Any ideas where you wanna eat, blondie?" Laxus asked.

"I have no clue? Do you know of any places?" Lucy asked back, by now getting used to his nick name for her.

"Yeah I know this great pasta place, if you're up for it?" he insisted.

"Sure!" Lucy happily stated.

Laxus weaved through multiple streets, until he came to what looked like a little shop. The neighborhood was poverty stricken, and the shop really didn't look all that better. She followed after Laxus trying to stay as close to him as possible due to the men staring at her. Once, Laxus had got a table and finally moved from in front of her, she awed at the place before her. It was a cute little mom and pop kind of restaurant that looked quite well unlike the neighborhood it was located in. Laxus just stared at the facial impressions she was making. Her eyes so easy to read, he could see curiosity, happiness, satisfaction and lastly, awe.

He ordered some sort of pasta dish, and after getting his opinion, Lucy ended up ordering the same thing. The waiter left.

"Is this your girlfriend?" an older man asked approaching their table.

Laxus looked over and smiled, then said, "No, just doing a mission with her." Lucy looked away shyly with a little bit of disappointment eating at her, but wondering whom this man was.

"Would you like some wine, Laxus?" asked the older man, " I have a new bottle that I would love you to try."

"Sure, Mr. Huang." Laxus replied.

Mr. Huang disappeared into the back to collect the wine.

"So you come here a lot?' Lucy asked.

"I try to but all my mission aren't always in or around Crocus. Whenever I can though, I eat here."

"So how do you know Mr. Huang?" Lucy asked genuinely intrigued.

" I helped him out a while back. No biggie." Laxus stated.

As if on cue, Mr. Huang added, "It IS a biggie. He saved my business from hooligans by working here for awhile, doing whatever help I needed."

Laxus just shrugged the compliment off as if he didn't hear it. He didn't like to be praised anymore, since the fantasia incident. You could say that his heart had grown a few sizes since then.

"When?" was all Lucy asked Mr. Huang.

But Laxus had replied, "After I got exiled from Fairy tail."

Mr. Huang finished pouring their wines and said he needed Laxus to give his opinion afterward, and took his leave.

Lucy started swirling her wine, she happened to love wine. Nobody knew, because the fact that she was a virgin brought forth a sense that she was too innocent plus the fact that she never drank in front of her guild mates. She liked exquisite things and that was one quality that had stayed with her after leaving the mansion and other rich things behind. She tasted the red wine and hummed, it was rich with a sweet taste, leading to bitter, but hardly. It was absolutely amazing. Laxus, having watched the whole scene unfold smiled lightly.

"I didn't have you pegged as a wine drinker." Laxus said amused.

"There are a lot of things that I indulge in, and yes, wine is one of them." Lucy said. "I am not a little girl who doesn't know what she wants. I have very refined taste in everything that I DO indulge myself in."

"I never said you were a little girl. But yes, you are a very refined woman." Laxus raised a brow.

Before Lucy could reply, Mr. Huang laid down two pasta dishes in front of them.

"So how was the wine Laxus?"

"I like this one, I think this one will be a top seller." Laxus replied coolly.

"I agree." Lucy chimed in. "Can we get a bottle to go?"

"Yes ma'am, Mr. Huang replied happily." He turned to Laxus and whispered into his ear. " I like this one, She's a keeper. Make a move son." Laxus just shrugged off the comment. He looked over at Lucy who seemed to be off in her own world eating her pasta. Thank goodness she didn't hear that. He thought.

They finished their meal, paid, and proceeded to their next stop, the magic shop.

They walked in comfortable silence until they got there. Lucy browsed through all their stuff, looking for certain items to up her magic capabilities. She had been working with Capricorn and Loke to expand her magic containers, as well as up her close combat fighting skills.

She found a new key ring that had a magic seal, once you put it on it stayed on you at all times, it would not come off unless you chanted a quick phrase. Lucy also picked out a new belt, it was a studded flat black belt with crosses around it and enchantment words, its capabilities being able to remain on her at all times, being irremovable without an enchantment and also boosting her leg kicks. After finding those two items, she chose leather black fingerless gloves which increased her punch damage, leather black combat boots that helped increase her speed, which also popped out a knife in the back below the heel. They also had clothes, and Lucy figured since it would be slightly cooler in dawn city she should get a couple of outfits. Plus she felt like it would be a fresh start since finally getting Natsu out of her heart. (Love wise) She chose a black long sleeved crop top with small uniform rips going down the spine. Also, a pair of black cargo pants that hugged her ass but were still loose and gave her room to move about efficiently. She threw her hair up in a sloppy ponytail bun and went to the register to pay for her new wardrobe and items. She asked if they had keys but they didn't have any.

Laxus had been waiting outside after making his purchase. He found himself a baseball cap that he liked, a few regular black V-neck shirts, a purple belt with a black brass knuckle belt buckle, which could be removed and increased power to punches while doing serious damage. He also found himself some dark gray jeans, and a nice pair of combat boots, which increased his agility. He heard the jingling of bells as the door opened and a figure came out. He stared at her, taking in her new look, pure sexiness radiated from her, and he couldn't help his hormones as they spiraled out of control. He kept his composure as he fought his internal sexual frustration battle. She was simply, stunning. She walked up to him, noticing the bag he was holding.

"What did you find, Laxus?" She asked taking in his new look, but still staring at the bag.

"A Hat." He replied, trying not to break composure and stating coolly.

"I didn't know you wore hats?" Lucy asked curiously, while thinking that his new wardrobe was way sexier than the last.

"I don't. I collect them." He stated, continuing to walk towards the train station to continue their journey.

"Will you show me your collection some time?" Lucy asked plainly but interested that Laxus even had a hobby.

"Maybe." Laxus said, holding in his embarrassment of someone other than the Rajinshuu knowing that he collected hats.

"Why are you so reserved, Laxus?"

"I don't mean to be, but when people look at me they cower in fear. I like it better that way too. I don't know how to act around others, let alone having to talk to them. I stick to what I know, and that's my Rajinshuu." He said meekly.

"I know how that is. I don't really have anyone mature enough to hang out and be myself around, besides Erza, but its really hard to joke around with her." Lucy laughed.

"I know how that is. I've had to work with her on a couple S-Class requests. That woman is all business; you have to be though in the world of S-Class. People expect a great deal from you and you being more serious and business like helps boost clientele and demeanor. Meaning you make a hell of a lot more money and you can enjoy the finer things in life." He winked at her.

Lucy understood what he meant, she missed the finer things in life and hopefully she'll be able to enjoy just a few more with the money of completing this mission.

They arrived at the station and boarded, after finding a seat, they continued on with their discussion.

"Hey Lucy, you wanna go out with me sometime to the club after this mission?" Laxus asked inquisitively.

She contemplated for a minute and replied with a stern, "Yes."

Laxus smiled like a chesire cat. He could only imagine taking this beauty out dancing. I wonder if she can dance, and how she would dress. Maybe on the way back from the mission.

Lucy was excited that Laxus had asked her to go out dancing with him. Dancing was one of her favorite things to do. She wondered if he even knew how to dance. There had to be SOMETHING this man was not good at. She wondered what his kryptonite would be but thought otherwise as she started studying his facial features. He stood from his seat and took off his shirt, so he could lie down on the long seat that he had turned to a wider bed by adjusting it a little to pass out, since it had started to get late in the evening. She watched from her peripherals as she was getting her bed ready, as soon as she got comfortable, she lay down on her side. Eyeing him, and remembering every dip in his rippling muscles, she couldn't help herself from staring and wanted so badly to touch him. If Lucy had a weak spot, it would be the back and abdomen muscles of a man, not to mention the huge biceps. She licked her lips and bit her lip, trying to repress her desires, but finding it extremely difficult since the man was just inches away, not to mention, shirtless. She lay on her back just staring at the ceiling trying to relax her nerves.

He had watched her the whole time she was staring and could hear her heart beat quicken when his muscles rippled while pulling off his shirt. He was happy to know his extreme sexual attraction was not one sided. It enthused him, but when she started licking her lips and bit down on her bottom lip accompanied by the smell of her arousal, he couldn't help the rush of blood that went straight to his groin. He lay down next to her on his back and hoped he'd be able to just catch sleep and forget about fucking Lucy senseless, but that was thrown out the window when the train lurched forward, rolling Laxus from his bed onto Lucy. He was now face to face, her straddling him.

"WE'D LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE BUMP IN THE ROAD! NOT TO WORRY! HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. WE WILL BE ARRIVING TO MATZA VALLEY TOMORROW NOON!" Said the PA.

I'd like to thank everyone for sticking by me and waiting for this chapter to come out. Honestly I thought I just lost my inspiration for this story but while reading the most amazing story today, it inspired me to get off my ass. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review. The continuation of this story relies on REVIEWS.

I NEED INSPIRATION PEOPLE!

I LOVE ALL MY READERS AND WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THE BEST REVIEWS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.

AGAIN, I AM EXTREMELY SORRY FOR MAKING YA'LL WAIT.

PLEASE FORGIVE ME!