The next few weeks passed by in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Each morning, I'd drag myself out of bed and slip into the bathroom across the hall. Once I was showered, I would either bump into Natsu in the kitchen or Gray in the dining room, depending on who was home to babysit me. I would give a sleepy greeting before pouring myself a bowl of cereal.
If it was Natsu, he would join me at the table and try and wake me up with conversation. I was never great at small talk, but Natsu was a natural at it. We'd discussed movies, music, books we both enjoyed (he didn't read very often, but there were a few books he liked enough to recommend)…Nothing too personal, but I learned a lot about him. He was an action flick kinda guy. He liked alternative rock music, such as A Day to Remember, All Time Low, and—his personal favorite—Fall Out Boy. We discussed Harry Potter (he was a Gryffindor to my Ravenclaw), Percy Jackson, as well as stand-alone novels. I convinced him to read The Tail of Desperaux, but only if I promised to read The Hunger Games. We laughed and joked as I cleaned the dishes, always with his help. Those were my favorite mornings.
Mornings with Gray were enjoyable too, but in a different way. I would greet him in the dining room, where he would have his nose buried in his laptop. We would sit in comfortable silence until I was done, when I would take my bowl and his (he always protested, but I took it anyway) into the kitchen to clean them. I would then either sit in the living room and watch TV, or sit next to him and read. We would sit in companionable silence until Natsu got back, when I would be pulled into a movie marathon or an intense discussion on my opinion on what to cook for dinner.
While Natsu was my distraction, Gray was my constant reminder. At times, I felt like a kindergartener being distracted from her father by the nanny. Come along, Lucy, Natsu seemed to say, Look at this. Come over this way. Let Daddy work. I would then shut down, locking myself in my room and writing. It reminded me too much of growing up in that large house, acres of land to roam around but no one to play with. These little depressed spells didn't last long, however, for after a few hours Natsu would appear in my doorway, a new distraction ready to go. We never talked about Dan, or the case, but he would talk to me about himself or—more often—Gray.
Gray, on the other hand, would discuss my relationship with Dan at great length. He would pick apart every minute, little detail I could remember, typing frantically at his laptop. He never really offered any concrete information about himself, but I learned from off-handed comments he made while working that he was kind of seeing a girl named Juvia, he had a brother and sister, and he lived with Natsu. Every time I tried to dive more into his personal story, he would shut me down with another question about Dan, or would ask me to find Natsu if I needed a break.
About three weeks into our stay, I woke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. In the past few weeks, I'd been no stranger to nightmares. Usually, I would wake up, reaffirm my surroundings, double-check the locks in the house, write for a little while, then attempted to fall back asleep. Tonight, however, as I was staring at the ceiling and trying to slow my racing heart, I heard a noise. I froze, holding my breath, waiting to see if I would hear it again. After a few seconds, I released the breath with a sigh. It was just my imagination. Everything was fine. He wasn—
The noise came again. It was a crunching sound, as if someone were walking over the few leaves that had begun to fall from the trees outside. As quietly as I could, I padded over to the window, crouching under it, and trying to look out. My eyes darted back and forth across the side of the house, but with the foliage it was almost pitch black. Just as I was about to give up and go back to bed, something shot across the yard and into the forest. A strangled scream escaped my throat and I skittered back away from the window. A few seconds later, my bedroom door flew open, causing another scream to burst forth.
"Lucy! What's wrong!?" Natsu demanded, normally spiky hair sticking up in all directions. He wore a tight tank top and a pair of basketball shorts, his feet bare. I could just barely make out a red tattoo on his right shoulder, one that looked suspiciously like the one on Gray's chest. His eyes scanned the room, looking for an attacker.
"Natsu," I breathed, trying once again to calm my racing heart. "I thought I saw…" I trailed off, glancing back at the window.
"You thought you saw someone?" he asked tensely. When he said it out loud, it sounded stupid. Of course there wasn't anyone out there. We were in the middle of nowhere. No one but the three of us and Captain Clive knew where we were. He was still staring at me, obviously expecting an answer, so I nodded, refusing to look at him. He swore under his breath, rushing out of my room and tearing open the door to the right.
"Gray, get up! Now!" I was shocked to hear Natsu use Gray's real name. They never called each other by their first names. It was always some insult regarding ice or fire (I still had yet to figure out why) or their last names if they were feeling friendly. Natsu explained the situation to Gray, who swore as well before I heard the sound of sheets shifting and feet pounding across the floor. "Hurry up…and put some damn pants on!"
Natsu crossed my room again, this time entering the door on the left. Not even a moment later, both men were running down the stairs.
"Lucy! Go into the bathroom and lock the door. Don't come out until I come for you!" Natsu called back to me. I ran across the hall, locking the door behind me. Once again squeezing myself between the bathtub and toilet, I hugged my knees and waited. With each passing second, my anxiety increased, causing me to shake violently. I hated how helpless I felt. I hated how stupid I felt due to the possibility of it being a false alarm. I hoped it was a false alarm. I hoped it wasn't. If they found Dan out there tonight, this could all be over. I could go home. But what if he found them first? It was dark. He could be armed. The thought of either Natsu or Gray being hurt because of me knocked the air out of my lungs. It would be all my fault. It felt like hours that I was in that bathroom, waiting for Dan to kick the door down and make good on his final threat.
With every minute that the detectives didn't come back, my worry increased. Then, I heard one of the doors open. Relief flooded through me. They were back. But it was so quiet. Had I heard correctly? I raised myself from my hiding place, walking across the small room slowly. When I reached the door, I placed my ear to it. My hand came to rest on the doorknob, and I had half a mind to unlock the door and meet the men halfway, but something stopped me. Natsu had told me not to come out until he came to get me. He was the professional in this situation. It was probably protocol. Not to mention, he'd probably be super pissed that I hadn't listened to him.
I took my hand off the doorknob and placed it on the door with my other. Softly, I heard footsteps walk around downstairs. They traveled around the first floor, stopping at random intervals. I raised an eyebrow, sucking in a breath to call down to them, when something registered in my mind, cutting me off. There was only one set of footsteps. Whoever was down there was alone. As the footsteps approached the staircase, I covered my mouth and flicked off the light. Sitting there in the dark, I seemed to be able to hear the footsteps so much more clearly. They seemed to stop at the foot of the stairs, and I could practically see Dan standing there. Part of me wanted to put as much space between me and the door as possible, but my feet remained rooted to the spot. Slowly, the footsteps ascended the stairs, making their way up to me. I heard them enter each room on the right, opening doors and pausing at random.
After the steps had walked around the room at the end of the hall (which I'd found out was an office), they walked down the hallway again before stopping in front of the bathroom door. This time I did stumble away from the door, tripping and falling onto my butt but somehow not making a single sound. I scrambled until my back was pressed up against the bathtub and prayed. I prayed to whatever god was listening that Dan would move on. That he wouldn't remember how I'd hid in the bathroom back at the apartment all those weeks ago. That he wouldn't jiggle the knob and discover the bathroom door locked. That he would give up and leave us—all of us—alone. My heart pounded in my chest as a fist pounded on the door. I couldn't completely smother the strangled cry that ripped from my throat, tears running down my cheeks.
"Lucy?" a voice I'd become very familiar with called from the other side of the door. "You can come out now."
I struggled to my feet, ripping open the door and throwing my arms around the man on the other side with a cry of relief. He stumbled back slightly, one arm coming to wrap around my waist to hold me up. I buried my face into his surprisingly scarf-less shoulder, sobbing violently. He tensed up beneath my grip, and I belatedly realized just how inappropriate this was. Just as I loosened my death grip on him, he tightened his.
"It's okay," Natsu cooed, the click of the safety being activated on his gun was almost drowned out by my sobs. "You're safe for now." He slid down to the floor, setting his gun to the side and pulling me into his lap. He rocked us gently, rubbing soothing lines up and down my arm, my head tucked under his chin.
I have no idea how long we stayed like that, but eventually I started to drift off. Somewhere in the haze of exhaustion, I heard Gray return.
"What happened?" he asked, voice concerned and confused.
"I came back to the house to check on her when we split up. After clearing the place, I knocked on the bathroom door and let her know she could come out. She opened the door and she was shaking and sobbing…dude, she was terrified. Like, almost had a heart attack terrified." His grip tightened a little. "I figured best course of action would be to hold her until she calmed down. Then she fell asleep."
"Did you announce yourself when you got back?"
"Are you stupid? What if the guy was in here, hiding? I'd give away my location."
"You idiot! That's probably why she was so scared! She probably thought you were him!" Gray shouted, causing me to flinch.
"Dude, keep your voice down! You're gonna wake her up. She already doesn't sleep enough," Natsu hissed. His last sentence didn't make any sense to me. How did he know I was having trouble sleeping?
"What do you mean?" Gray asked for me. Natsu started rocking me again.
"She gets up in the middle of the night. Walks downstairs for a little bit. Back up to her room. I'm guessing nightmares." Guilt shot through me. As quiet as I thought I'd been, I must have been waking him up at night with my nervous movement. Along with being a ridiculous morning person—I would never understand how he was able to be so damn chipper in the morning—he must be a light sleeper.
"With what she's been through, it doesn't surprise me. Bastard deserves way worse than what he's gonna get for what he did to her," Gray mumbled, voice tight. There was a long pause before Natsu shifted, managing to stand while keeping me in his arms.
"I'm going to get her to bed. Do me a favor and check the locks one more time? I'll double-check her window lock."
"Sure thing. And Flame Brain?" Natsu paused and turned slightly. "Come to my room when you're done. We need to talk."
Natsu placed me in my bed gently, pulling my blankets up to my chin. As the warmth of my little cocoon lulled me even further into dreamland, I could've sworn I felt a warm hand smooth down my hair.
The next morning, I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a train. My eyes were dry and itchy, my throat sore, and my head pounded. Opening my eyes, I was assaulted by too-bright streams of sunlight that seemed to shine directly into them. I turned over and groaned, making it my mission to just stay in bed all day. If only I could've been so lucky.
"Good morning, Starshine! The Earth says 'Hello!'" that annoyingly chipper voice called into my room, making his way over to my bed. "C'mon, sleepyhead! We got things to do today! Places to go, people to see. So get up." He shook my shoulder for good measure, but I shrugged him off, groaning in irritation. This didn't seem to deter him. "All right, let's get you some clothes…"
I burrowed further into my blankets, attempting to tune him out. I barely registered the sound of drawers opening and closing, and the weight of something being thrown on top of me. I was almost sleep again when I heard Natsu mutter, "Why would anyone need so many frilly panties…"
I shot out of bed like a rocket, throwing myself onto his back. "Get the hell out of there!" I shrieked, managing to yank him away and kick my underwear drawer shut at the same time. He grabbed my arm and stumbled back in my chokehold, trying to get a lungful of air. "You filthy pervert!" Following Gajeel's advice, I attempted to kick him in his soft spot, but only made it to his knee.
"Ow! Jesus Christ, Lucy, would you stop? I was just trying to—" he was cut off by a well-placed punch to the stomach. He doubled over, catching my hand before I could hit him again. Just as he was about to finish explaining himself, Gray walked in.
"What in the hell are you two doing?" He looked from the clothes on my bed, to our struggling bodies by the dresser, to something in Natsu's hand. Following his gaze, all of the blood rushed from my face before forcefully filling my cheeks again. I stiffened, stepping away from him. Raising an eyebrow, he eyed me warily.
"Are you going to stop me, Gray?" I growled lowly, my eyes never leaving my prey.
"Stop what? I saw nothing. Don't get blood on the rug—it's a bitch to get out." With that, he shrugged and disappeared. Natsu watched him leave, confusion evident on his face.
"What are you—oh hell," he turned back to me, and I saw the shiver travel down his spine. He shivered in fear, holding his hands up in surrender. Big mistake.
"What," I snarled, taking a step toward him, "do you think you are doing with that?"
"With what?" he gulped, following my line of sight to his right hand. All of the color drained from his face. "Lucy, this isn't what it looks like…"
The resulting slap could probably be heard for miles.
An hour later, I was showered, fed, and sitting in the backseat of the car. Natsu was driving this time (he'd picked up a fresh bottle of his motion sickness medication), while Gray sat laughing at him in the passenger seat. A bright red hand print was still visible on his cheek, which Gray was currently relentlessly making fun of.
"Does it still hurt, old buddy?" he choked out between chortles. Natsu's scowl deepened.
"I didn't deserve to get slapped in the face," he muttered darkly, glaring at the road in front of him. One hand was on the steering wheel, the other was propped up on the door, fist under his chin. A pout had formed on his lips, and I had to admit I felt a little guilty. However, not guilty enough to apologize for slapping him for going through my underwear drawer. "I was just trying to help you get ready…didn't deserve to get hit…as bad as Erza…"
This made Gray laugh harder. "Yeah, you tell her that when we see her today."
Natsu blanched. "Are you kidding? I don't have a death wish." He shivered, pure terror flashing across his face.
"So, where exactly are we going?" I asked from the middle seat in the back. I'd discovered that I could hear their conversations better if I sat there. I shifted forward. "I thought we weren't supposed to leave the safe house."
"We're taking you to a meeting with a lawyer, that way you can decide whether or not you want to officially press charges against your ex," Gray explained, finally getting ahold of himself. My stomach twisted painfully at the thought. It hadn't occurred to me that pressing charges was my choice.
"You mean, I don't have to press charges if I don't want to?" I asked, my voice small. Both men grimaced, but nodded. Natsu's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles white.
"Bastard deserves jail time," Natsu growled, glaring out the windshield. I flinched slightly at his tone. I knew he was right, but something stopped me from agreeing with him. Memories flashed across my vision; candlelit dinners, roses on Valentine's Day, cuddles on cold nights. It hadn't been all bad. My heart lurched when I realized just how much I missed those little moments. How much I longed for them.
Gray took notice of my silence. Punching Natsu in the arm, he turned his dark eyes to me.
"You don't have to decide now. Talk to Erza. Think it over. It's entirely up to you." With that, we all stayed silent for the rest of the ride, each one lost in our own thoughts.
Erza's office was in a building I must have passed a hundred times on my way to and from work. I vaguely remembered entering it once to do an interview. It was a tall building, with big windows that almost made it look like it was entirely made out of glass. We entered into the lobby, heading straight for the elevators. Natsu paused, looking a little green, and said he'd meet us up there. Apparently, you can get sick on elevators, too. Who knew?
Gray rolled his eyes and ushered me in, not even bothering to argue. Natsu disappeared as the doors closed, and I kicked myself for feeling disappointed at the loss. Gray pressed the button for the sixth floor and shifted back to lean against the wall. As the elevator lifted us to our destination, I stared at myself in mirrored walls. My hair was down today, and had seemed to have grown maybe a half an inch or an inch since I'd last payed attention. Anxiety filled me as I stared at it. I'd kept my hair long when I was younger, but Dan preferred it to be shorter. Just passed my shoulders. The bright blonde contrasted rather prettily with my black sweater, and I made a mental note not to wear it out in public again. People were going to notice. Men would notice. I couldn't have that.
Suddenly, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Gray gave a small smile before he jerked his head toward the open door, a silent ladies first gesture. I smiled back and inclined my head, stepping out into the hallway ahead of him. He brushed passed me and stopped at the last door on the left. A pretty receptionist with long, curly caramel-colored hair greeted us at the desk.
"Ah, Gray. It's good to see you," she said in a sultry voice, glancing at him from over her glasses. "I'm guessing you're Erza's eleven o'clock?"
"That'd be us," Gray confirmed, hands in his pockets. "This is Lucy, her client. Lucy, this is Evergreen."
"It's nice to meet you," I greeted, giving her a smile. She gave me a once-over before smirking.
"Likewise. She'll be with you in a moment, if you want to just head back," Evergreen informed Gray, gesturing to the door behind her. Gray began to move, but I hesitated.
"What about Natsu? He's not here yet," I reminded him, glancing back at the door. Gray looked at me for a long moment before rolling his eyes.
"He's been here before, he'll just meet us in there. Don't know what's taking the idiot so long…"
I cast one more glance at the door before taking a deep breath and following Gray. Little did I know, this would only be the beginning of a very long day.
Man, guys, these chapters just keep getting longer and longer. Originally, this chapter continued, having Lucy meet Erza and all that, but I decided to break it up between this one and the next one. Which means, if things go my way, you guys might get another chapter either tonight or tomorrow. Again, not promising anything, but it might happen.
Get pumped, you guys, because Erza is getting introduced in the next chapter! Along with a few other friendly faces, possibly.
In response to a guest's review, asking if I was going for the feel of "running from the cops, except with help from the cops," my answer is kind...of...? It's more that I'm going for the feeling of "which cops can you trust, and which do you avoid," if that makes sense? Don't worry. Hopefully all will be explained in due time. I'm still sort of nailing down Dan's special brand of Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, so I'm hoping all will be a little more clear as Lucy begins to learn things. In writing this in first person, I'm hoping to keep y'all as much in the dark as she is.
Again, I'd like the give special thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed since my last update, and I'll work hard to get you guys the next chapter ASAP.