My blood ran cold.

I'd like to say, when I noticed the open door, I did something heroic or badass, like throw open the car door and go looking for him myself. I'd like to say that I stomped into the safe house and found him there waiting for me, so I lunged for him and took him down. I'd like to say that after he was arrested, I never thought about him again. I'd like to say all of those things.

But none of them would be true.

In all honesty, when I noticed the open door, I froze. My heart began to beat painfully in my chest; not quickly, really, just painfully hard. Every beat, every pump of my blood, felt like a punch right to my sternum. When I realized I wasn't breathing, I began to take in large gulps of air. Slowly. In. Out. In. Out. Over and over again. Oddly enough, no matter how much air I took in, I didn't seem to be getting any air. I took even deeper breaths. Still nothing. My hands began to tingle from lack of oxygen, and my legs began to shake. Once my legs started, the rest of my followed. I unbuckled myself from the middle seat and slid over to the window seat, trying to put as much distance between me and the danger. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I clamped my hands over my ears. In. Out. In. Out. Why wasn't it working? There was nothing in my throat. Why couldn't I breathe?

It wasn't until I felt a hand on my knee that I realized Natsu had been calling my name. My face snapped up to look at him, taking in his concerned facial expression. His slanted eyes—different from Gray's, who's seemed to droop in boredom—watched me carefully. He was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear him over the ringing. When had the ringing started? I just needed more air. That was all. I told him that, and he responded, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Something about laying down? Putting my feet up? I would if I could feel my legs. In. Out. In. Out. My eyes went back to the house. Gray hadn't come back yet. Why hadn't Gray come back yet? How long had he been gone? I tried to ask Natsu, but my lips were numb. How did they work again?

Suddenly, my view of the house was obstructed by tan skin, pink hair, hazel eyes, white scarf. Natsu. He had crawled into the backseat. Wasn't he supposed to be watching for Dan? I saw more than felt his hands come up to caress my cheeks, his thumbs swiping under my eyes. Was I crying? When had I started crying? His face got closer and closer until I went cross-eyed, staring at his nose. Soft pressure was applied to my forehead, but I felt no need to recoil.

"Close your eyes," he murmured, closing his own. I tried to argue—if I closed my eyes, how could I see the danger?—but he shushed me. He took deep, even breaths that fanned across my face. Slowly, I slipped into darkness.

Without my sight, my heart began to pound even harder, knocking the air out of me. My breathing sped up to an unsteady tempo that I couldn't understand. My stomach coiled like a spring.

"Breathe with me, Luce," Natsu instructed, keeping his breathing even. "In, one, two three. Out, one, two, three."

Focusing on the pressure of his forehead against mine and the warmth his hands provided on my face, I followed his rhythm. In. One, two, three. Out. One, two, three. After a few repetitions, my heartrate began to slow. Each beat no longer felt like a jackhammer ramming into my body. The ringing in my ears stopped. The tingling in my limbs and face faded away. Slowly, muscles that I had no idea had tensed up began to relax. The uncomfortable coil in my stomach, however, remained.

"That's good, just like that," Natsu encouraged, his hands leaving my face to grab hold of mine. His forehead left mine as well. "How are you feeling?"

"Shaky," I replied, my voice practically vibrating. Ah, so that's where my lips were. I had lost them for a moment. "Light-headed."

"Okay, keep breathing. Here, look. Gray's back."

I opened my eyes, looking past Natsu to see Gray making his way back over to the car. He looked frustrated, which I didn't take as a good sign. Natsu leaned over and unlocked the doors. Gray pulled open the back door obstructing his way.

"He isn't here now, but he was. Destroyed the place," Gray growled, running a hand through his hair. His gaze met Natsu's. "Safe house has been compromised. I'll call Gildarts. CSU is probably gonna wanna take a look around before we touch anything." He slammed the door shut and I jumped, yanking my hands out of Natsu's. He glanced back at me, but was distracted when Gray threw open the driver's door and climbed in. "Buckle up. We need to get back to HQ. Now."

Tensing, Natsu slid away from me to the other side of the backseat, yanking the seatbelt across his lap to buckle it. I followed suit, keeping my eyes on him. Gone was his calm demeanor. He was the one shaking now, looking back at the house as Gray quickly reversed.

"Are you sure he's not there?" he asked, his voice low. Gray shot him a look through the rearview mirror.

"Of course. I cleared the entire house." He returned his eyes to the road, his knuckles white from clenching the steering wheel. He took a deep breath, relaxing his face into one of indifference.

"Go back," Natsu demanded. "I'll take a look around this time. Maybe I can pick up a trail for us to follow. We could find the bastard now."

My heart sped up again. We could find him? What happens when we do?

"We need to inform Gildarts of the situation," Gray persisted, pulling out his phone and dialing and selecting a contact.

"We're wasting time!" Natsu argued, throwing his hands up. "If we wait, the trail could go cold. He could get away!"

Gray ignored him as he spoke into the phone, relaying the events of the past forty-five—that couldn't be right. I checked the clock again—minutes in an almost monotone voice. Natsu tensed, unhappy that he was being ignored.

"Gray—"

"Think about who's here with us!" Gray shouted back, pulling the phone away from his ear. "We can't just go barreling after the bad guy this time. We're not alone this time!" He gave me a pointed look. "Our main priority is Lucy's safety. What were we supposed to do, drag her along with us?"

Natsu bristled. "She'd be fine, as long as she stayed close to one of us. I could've picked up a trail, then you could've dropped her off while I followed it—"

"And leave you to go after a deranged psychopath without any back up?" Gray retorted, glaring at Natsu through the rearview mirror again. The phone in his hand had been long-forgotten. "We can't be the ones to take down every bad guy—"

"That's our job, Gray! Taking down the bad guys! Getting them off the street! Making sure they don't hurt innocent people like Lucy ever again!" Natsu was leaning forward now, grabbing the driver's seat and craning himself to get a look at Gray. Suddenly, Gray veered to the side of the road, slamming on the brakes and violently jamming the gear shift into park.

"Our job, Natsu," Gray stated, his voice rumbling low in his chest, "is to keep Lucy safe while we provide Gildarts information for him to follow up on. She is our first priority." He took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before exhaling. "Look, I know that you want the fucker behind bars. Believe me, I want the same thing. But right now, we need to figure out what's most important. Tell me, what's more important: Lucy or following clues that might not lead anywhere?"

"Lucy," Natsu said without hesitation. I felt my face heat up. He'd said it with such conviction…Focus, Lucy. Now's not the time to be twittering like a love-sick schoolgirl.

Gray paused for a moment, his eyes remaining trained onto Natsu's. Finally, he sighed. "Right. Now, we need to get her to the station, where she'll be better protected." He turned back around in his seat, putting the car back into drive and merging into traffic.

I stole a glance over at Natsu. While he seemed to have cooled down, he was obviously still agitated. He met my gaze, an intense look in his eyes that I couldn't read. Taking a steadying breath of his own, he turned to glare out the window.

The rest of the ride to the station was completely quiet. Gray didn't even turn on the radio to drown out the loud, tense silence. I leaned my head against the window, letting the cool glass sooth the pounding that was building in my head. All of this was my fault. Natsu and Gray were unable to actually do anything because they were stuck babysitting me. If I hadn't have called Gajeel that night, none of this would've happened. The two detectives would be out on their next adventure, following leads and catching bad guys. If I had just rejected Gajeel's offer for a ride home. If I had just told Jason that I couldn't stay late to talk about my article. If I had just said no to dinner that rainy day in May. If I had just done that, none of this would be happening now.

A hand on my shoulder ripped me from my spiraling thoughts.

"Luce? We're here," Natsu informed me, taking his hand away. I looked around in confusion. When had we gotten to the precinct? Rubbing my itching eyes, I realized I must have fallen asleep. Clumsily, I dragged myself out of the car and into the station, where I came face-to-face with two angry, red eyes.

"Are you okay?" Gajeel ground out, his eyes traveling over my body, checking for fatal injuries. I yawned.

"Hey, Gajeel."

"Were you hurt? I heard that asshole—" I flinched "—was at the safe house today." Gajeel rounded on Natsu and Gray. "You two were supposed to keep her safe. He found his way to the safe house."

"That we weren't even at, at the time," Natsu cut him off, crossing his arms. "We were in the city when it happened."

Gajeel visibly relaxed. This time when he turned to me, he looked a little less grumpy. "How have you been, Blondie? It's been a while."

I gave him a warm smile. "Pretty good. Watched a lot of movies. Got some writing done. Learned how to cook a few new dishes. What's new with you?"

Gajeel stiffened. Obviously, nothing he was super ecstatic about. He opened his mouth—whether to explain or change the subject, I would never know—only to be interrupted by the booming voice of Captain Clive.

"Fullbuster, Dragneel. My office. Now. Miss Heartfilia, if you wouldn't mind joining them?" his voice lowered as he addressed me. The detectives exchanged a look before making their way into his office, heads slumped slightly. I followed behind them, casting one last look at Gajeel before the door shut. The Captain gestured to the seats in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Giving each other a confused look, Natsu and Gray both moved to claim each of the chairs.

"Not you two!" Clive groaned, waving them off. "I was offering for Miss Heartfilia." He returned his gaze to me, his eyes softening. "Please, have a seat."

I shot the detectives a smug look as I sat down. Gray shot me a dirty look back. Natsu may or may not have stuck his tongue out at me. Discretely, I returned the favor.

"Now, I need you to tell me exactly what happened today. Everything that you remember."

The next half an hour was spent recounting the entire day. I checked out of the conversation after a few minutes. I already knew all of this. I examined Captain Clive's desk for a second time. It was still an absolute mess—seriously, would it kill him to keep his paperwork organized?—and there was a new picture. It was of Clive and the brunette woman from the first picture. They were sitting at a bar, both their drinks raised. Clive had his arm around the woman, who tried to look disgruntled. The more I studied her face, though, the more happiness I could see. Her mouth may have been screwed up into a scowl, but her blue eyes were warm as she gazed at the captain. I was just beginning to wonder about their relationship (was she his niece? Captain Clive wasn't wearing a wedding ring) when Gray broke me out of my reverie.

"When we returned to the safe house, I immediately noticed that the front door was ajar," Gray was reporting, a serious look on his face. "I left Ash-face in the car with Lucy and went to secure the perimeter. After clearing the outside of the house, I entered through the back door. Nothing seemed out of place until I made it to the second floor. All three bedroom doors were open, though I was sure Lucy had closed hers before we left this morning. When I got to the top of the stairs, I saw that both mine and Lava Breath's rooms had been trashed. I mean, Te Ka's—" I snorted at the nickname "—room is always a disaster area, but this was something entirely different. The drawers of our dressers had been ripped out, and our clothes had been thrown all over the place. The desk drawers had received the same treatment. It was almost as if he was looking for something…"

Something prickled at the back of my mind. Looking for something. He was looking for something. Why did that feel so familiar?

"And Lucy's bedroom? Was it also disturbed?" Clive questioned, looking pensive.

"No, not that I saw. Other than the desk, where it looked like a notebook had been ripped up."

"What?" I demanded, drawing their attention. My heart was pounding painfully again.

"What what?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"You said a notebook had been ripped up in my room?" I pushed. My palms were starting to sweat. He couldn't have.

"Yeah. It was a small notebook, like the kind that reporters use—"

My breath hitched, and I stopped listening. He'd done it. He'd gone out of his way to find my writing and destroy it. I'd worked so hard…then something occurred to me. Looking for something. The desk drawers being pulled out. The detectives' dresser drawers being searched through, but not mine. Gray was still talking, but I cut him off.

"Gray, you've been working on finding Dan this whole time, yeah?" I asked, my mind working a mile a minute.

"Yeah?" he confirmed, confusion evident on his face.

"You stay up late to work on the case, right?"

"Yes, why?"

I turned to Natsu. "You've been working on the case at night, too, yeah?"

"Uh-huh," Natsu assented, looking every bit as confused as Gray. They exchanged a look. "I don't see how this helps us—"

"He was looking for something," I explained. What he was looking for, it was so obvious. "Something that only the two of you would have. When he couldn't find it in your rooms, he went looking through my desk, too. He didn't look anywhere else because I wasn't supposed to have it." I locked eyes with Gray, who seemed to finally be catching up to me. "Or should I say them."

Gray's eyes lit up with understanding. He snapped and pointed at me. "That's what he was looking for! But why…?"

"I am so lost," Natsu muttered, looking helplessly between the two of us. Captain Clive looked just as confused.

"What was he looking for?" Clive asked.

"The case files!" Gray and I exclaimed together. After a few seconds, things seemed to click for Natsu and Clive. Once they got it, they both gasped and looked at each other.

"But why would he want those?" Natsu inquired, scratching his head. Clive seemed to have caught on, however.

"To see how much we know, and what our plan of attack is." A look of deep thought crossed his face. "Did he find them?"

Gray shook his head. "I had them with me. Didn't feel comfortable leaving them behind."

Clive nodded his approval. "Good work, following your gut. I'll have Detectives Jet and Droy investigate the matter further. In the meantime, we need to place you three in a new safe house."

Just as Clive was sitting at his desk to find a new address on his computer, his phone rang.

"Captain Clive," he answered professionally. He listened for a moment before his face drained of color. "What?...Yes, I heard you, but…You do realize this makes five, right?...But what about…Okay…Okay…No, I understand…Thank you for the heads up…No, that's okay. We'll figure something out…Yes…You as well…Goodbye." Clive hung up the phone and ran his hands down his face.

"Problem, Gildarts?" Natsu pried. Clive looked from him, to Gray, to me for a moment before answering.

"Yeah, big problem. As of today, five safe houses have been compromised in the last three weeks."

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning I don't know where to send you three." Clive took a deep breath. "There's another safe house a few towns over, in Crocus. A city that big, it should be easy for you three to blend in."

"That's exactly where he is expecting us to go," Natsu interrupted, a dangerously calculating look in his eyes. "Which is exactly why we can't go there."

"You don't have a choice," Clive stated.

"Yes we do," Natsu argued, his gaze meeting Clive's defiantly. "She can move in with us here in Magnolia."

"What?!" Clive choked out, standing up. "Out of the question. Do you have any idea how unprofessional that is?"

"Exactly," Natsu countered, setting his shoulders. His jaw set. He was dead set on this idea. "Think about it. It's something you would never agree to. So he won't be expecting it. It'll buy us at least a few more weeks to try and track the bastard—" I flinched "—down. He knows you, Gildarts. He knows that you would never send a vic to an officer's private home."

"This is ridiculous even for you, Dragneel. I am not authorizing this. We have protocols to adhere to," Clive snapped, running a hand down his face again. I could tell the stress of the case was beginning to get to him. Natsu opened his mouth to argue, but I beat him to it.

"Actually, Captain Clive, I think it's a good idea," I spoke up, standing as well. All three pairs of eyes shot to me. "Natsu makes a very good point. Having me stay here in Magnolia is the last thing he would expect you guys to do." I turned to Natsu. "We could divert him even further by reporting that I had been sent to another safe house, but not specify which one. Natsu's right, it would buy us time by sending Dan on a wild goose chase. Plus, I would be closer to the precinct, which would make it easier to keep an eye on me. I think it's a solid plan."

All three men were staring at me with differing looks. Gray was watching me closely, as if searching for something. Clive seemed to be mulling over the idea. Natsu was staring at me in awe, his eyes wide, as if he hadn't expected me to defend him. I felt my face heat up again, turning away from him. Finally, Clive seemed to have come to a decision.

"All right," he conceded, raising his hands in surrender. "If Miss Heartfilia agrees with the plan, then I guess it's worth a shot. No funny business!" Clive emphasized, pointing a finger at Natsu and Gray. After a second, he relaxed. "Oh, who am I kidding? This is Natsu and Gray I'm talking to. Since you will be staying in Magnolia, I'm putting both of you on desk duty for now. Miss Heartfilia, you will stay here in the precinct during their shifts. That way, I know you will be safe." He waved his hand. "You're dismissed."

As we shuffled out of the office, Natsu and Gray shot a look at each other. As soon as the door was shut, both of them were clapping me on the back.

"Way to use that backbone, Luce!" Natsu complimented, laughing. Gray nodded in agreement.

"No one talks back to Gildarts, except Flame Brain over here." He jammed his thumb at his partner. The pink haired man was grinning with pride. Gray opened his mouth to say more when he was drowned out by a female voice.

"My darling Gray, you've returned!" In a flash of blue, Gray was suddenly no longer at my side. Reacting slowly, I turned to see him sprawled out on the ground with a woman on top of him.

"Ow…Damn it, Juvia! That hurt!" he groaned, rubbing the back of his head. The woman, who I noticed had blue hair, just held him tighter.

"Juvia hasn't seen you in weeks! You hardly called while you were gone…Juvia was so lonely!" she cried, burying her face in his chest. Juvia…wait, wasn't that the woman Gray was kind of-sort of dating? I turned to Natsu to confirm this, but he was too busy trying to hide his laughter.

"You tell him, Juvia," Natsu choked out. "Don't let him treat you like that."

"Let him treat her like what?" Gajeel's gruff voice cut in. "What do you think you're doing to her, Fullbuster?"

Gray's face went pale as Juvia turned to look at Gajeel.

"He's been away on a job," she explained, holding him tighter, "and has been neglecting Juvia!"

"I thought I told you to treat her right, Ice Pick," Gajeel ground out, picking Gray up from the floor by the front of his shirt. Juvia was deposited on the floor beside them. "What's this I hear about you neglecting her?"

"I was on a job, Metal Face!" Gray argued. That nickname I understood. Gajeel had like, a million piercings. A number of which were in his head in varying places. "I've been trying to find this crazy detective. I haven't exactly had the time to think about dates!"

"So, you've been neglecting Juvia for this blonde tramp?" Juvia demanded, gesturing to me. Now, I understood that she missed her boyfriend. That was okay. What I wouldn't take lying down was being insulted. Just as I opened my mouth to tell her just that, I felt myself being pulled behind someone.

"Hey now, was that really necessary?" Natsu defended me, keeping one arm pulled back to hold onto me. Juvia turned to him, slightly startled. Before he could say anymore, I stepped out from behind him.

"Look, I know you don't know me, and I've been living with your boyfriend for the past few weeks, so this probably won't mean much to you, but I am not interested in him like that. I promise. Plus, he told me a little bit about you. You seem to make him happy," I finished, a smile playing on my face. Juvia looked between me and Natsu for a moment before she nodded curtly.

"Yes, Juvia makes him happy. Not you," she added haughtily. She then walked off, pulling Gray along with her. Over her shoulder, she told me, "Juvia will be keeping an eye on you, Miss Heartfilia."

"Just Lucy is fine!" I called after her, chuckling slightly. She was an interesting character, I'd give her that. Natsu nudged me with his shoulder.

"Don't worry too much about her," he said wryly. "Her relationship with Ice Princess is pretty new, and his communication skills are lacking. He's crazy about her, though." He laughed lightly, shaking his head. "I'll never understand those two… Anyway, wanna pick up some food and head home? It's been kind of a long day, and I need to pick up Happy from Wendy's."

"Yeah," I agreed, rubbing my tired eyes. A lot had happened in such a short period of time. All I wanted was a shower and a nap. "Happy's your cat, right?"

"He's my little buddy," Natsu said, smiling warmly. I said goodbye to Gajeel and we set out.

Instead of returning to the car, we walked to an apartment complex a few blocks away. It was tall, but old. Not the high-priced condo I'd shared with Dan. As we walked into the lobby, Natsu stopped and checked the mailbox. To my surprise, it was empty. This didn't seem to bother him, though. We made our way to the stairs, climbing them in comfortable silence. Silence had never been comfortable with Dan. One of us was always talking. Toward the end, it was always Dan. He'd tell me about the last criminal he'd arrested or funny stories about Gajeel. Then he'd complain about how hard I'd laughed—It wasn't that funny, Lulu—or he'd get irritated with my fishing for more details.

We exited the stairs on the third floor, Natsu stopping at the fourth door and knocking. A soft voice called out, before the door opened to a young woman with dark blue hair. She couldn't have been older than nineteen.

"Ah, Natsu! Welcome back! Did you want to see Happy one more time before you left again?" the woman asked, stepping aside to let him in. He smiled as he walked past her, taking my hand to pull me in after him.

"Nah, I'm here to pick him up. Gray and I are back for the time being, so I figured I'd take him home." Natsu gestured to me. "This is Lucy. She'll be staying with us for a while. Lucy, this is my cousin, Wendy."

"It's very nice to meet you," Wendy greeted, smiling shyly at me. She was so cute, I couldn't help the warm smile that melted over my own face.

"The pleasure is all mine," I responded.

Wendy's apartment was a small one, two bedroom one bath, with a living room and a kitchen. From what I could see, Wendy had been folding laundry on the couch, which Natsu was now pawing through. I was about to reprimand him—seriously, what was it with him and going through women's laundry?—when he shouted in triumph and held up something blue and fuzzy.

Now, when I say blue, I'm not talking about grayish-blue or so black it's blue. I'm talking full-blown, bright as the summer sky blue. I stared at the small ball of fluff in his hands uncomprehendingly for a moment, trying to wrap my head around what I was looking at. The fluff ball lifted its head to look at me, eyes blinking blearily before closing completely and curling up in the man's hands. I took a few steps closer, reaching out without realizing it. The kitten was extremely soft to the touch, and it nuzzled into my hand when I scratched its head.

"Why—" I swallowed. "Why is your cat blue?"

"I dunno," Natsu shrugged. "I found him like that. About three months ago. He was sitting in a box on the street, with a sign that said 'Free to a good home.' I couldn't just leave the little guy there." Natsu rubbed the cat between the ears. "Ice Face didn't seem to be too put out by the idea of having a cat, since they pretty much take care of themselves, so I got to keep him. As if it Cold Front had any actual say in the matter." His face softened as he looked at the kitten in his hands. He turned to Wendy. "Thanks again for taking care of him. I really appreciate it, kiddo."

She smiled, reaching over to give Natsu a hug. "Any time. Carla seems to be warming up to him!" She gestured to a white kitten perched on the back of the couch. The kitten seemed to huff, before turning around and laying down, back facing all of us. She seemed so indignant, I couldn't help but giggle.

"We should probably get going. I'll stop in and visit again soon," Natsu promised, giving his cousin one more hug before ushering me out the door. Wendy called a quick "Bye!" over her shoulder as Natsu shut the door.

"So, how does Chinese sound?" he asked as he walked back into the stairwell. I nodded my acceptance as I followed him, reaching over to pet the little blue kitten again. Wordlessly, Natsu passed him over to me. Happy seemed content to snuggle up against my chest, purring loudly.

The next time we left the stairwell, we were on the seventh floor. I was a little winded from the walk, but Natsu seemed perfectly fine. He withdrew his key and opened the door to an apartment similar to Wendy's. This one was a two bedroom, two bath with a common room and a slightly larger kitchen. There was also an area with a dining room table. I figured it made sense for them to have one, with how much Natsu seems to cook.

I settled myself on the couch as Natsu dialed the closest Chinese restaurant, asking me what I wanted as he waited for them to answer. It was so strange. Normally, Dan would order for me. Don't worry, Lulu. You'll like this. You should broaden your horizons. He always made me eat whatever he was in the mood for. It was…nice, to have someone ask me for my opinions on things again. It had been so long…

"Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills," Natsu interrupted my thoughts, leaning over to get a good look at me. "Why the long face?"

"Just…thinking," I answered, flushing slightly. He straightened, hands on his hips, staring at me for a moment before his face seemed to light up with an idea. He disappeared into the room farthest from the front door for a moment, before returning with a laptop in hand. He stood in front of me, typing for a moment, before he set the computer on the coffee table and pressed the space bar.

"I can see you over there, staring at your drink, watching that ice sink all alone tonight," Keith Urban's voice floated out of the laptop, and Natsu reached a hand out to me. I stared at it for a moment, warring with myself, before I defiantly slid mine into it and let him pull me off the couch. Happy meowed unhappily at being displaced, curling up where I had just been sitting. Both of us laughed as Natsu pulled me into his arms, wrapping one around my waist and taking my hand in his.

"I'm not tryna be another just pick you up kinda guy, trying to drink you up, tryna take you home," Natsu sang as we swayed, stepping awkwardly left and right. I giggled as I stepped along, letting him swing me around the room. He would speed up and slow down with the tempo of the song, all the while keeping me close to him. We circled the room as he sang to me, dipping his head close to mine to sing softly into my ear. As the song came to an end, he rested his forehead against mine, swaying us back and forth, not really moving. I felt so comfortable…so safe in his arms…a soft smile playing on my lips as we sat there, even after the song had stopped playing. I took a deep breath of his unique scent—of campfires and pine and something entirely his own—and my heart began to swell. I opened my eyes to see him watching me carefully, his pink hair mixing with my blonde as he kept his forehead resting against mine.

"He doesn't deserve you," he told me quietly, stopping our swaying. I stiffened.

"What?" I couldn't have heard him right. I kept my eyes glued on his.

"He doesn't deserve you," Natsu repeated, pulling his head away from mine. I immediately missed the contact, then berated myself for it. "And you don't deserve any of this. You deserve so much better…"

I was about to open my mouth—to say something, anything—when the front door opened, revealing Gray and Juvia. They were holding bags of Chinese food. Natsu and I jumped away from each other as we'd been burned.

"Are we interrupting something?" Gray asked, glancing from me to him. I rubbed at my cheeks to hide my blush, rushing forward to take the bags from both of them.

"Of course not," I said, though it felt like a lie. Coughing to cover my embarrassment, I walked into the kitchen. "Where are the dishes? I'll set the table. Will you be joining us, Juvia?"

"They're in the cupboard by the fridge. Can I talk to you for a moment, Partner?" Gray growled at Natsu, gesturing to the bedroom closest to the front door. Natsu held his gaze defiantly before letting out a long sigh, following Gray into the room. The door shut softly, and Juvia and I were left in silence.

"I guess I should…" I trailed off, taking plates out of the cupboard. Juvia wordlessly walked in and pulled out four cups. The tension in the air was palpable. My hands shook as I set the table, trying not to remember the warmth of Natsu's arm around my waist and his hand in mine. I tried, and failed, to forget how perfect it felt to have his forehead resting against mine…how right it felt. I ripped open one of the food bags, setting up the takeout containers where everyone could reach them.

"You know," Juvia began, breaking the unbearable silence, "Juvia first thought you were a rival for Gray's attention."

I almost snapped at her, until I noticed the determined look on her flushed face.

"But then, Juvia saw you and Natsu together…and she's not afraid anymore. The way you two were looking at each other…" she trailed off, sighing.

"There is no look, Juvia," I said quietly, rearranging the takeout bags. "He's just protecting me because it's his job. If anything, we're friends, and that probably shouldn't have happened." I swallowed the lump building up in my throat.

"Juvia doesn't think Natsu's protecting you simply because it's his job," Juvia argued, giving me a soft look. "Juvia thinks he cares about you. And it's pretty obvious that you care about him."

"He's my friend, Juvia. After this is all over, we'll probably go our separate ways and never see each other again…" The tears that threatened to spill from my eyes surprised me. Three weeks. I'd known this man for three weeks. Why did the idea of leaving him…hurt this badly? Why was I crying? It didn't make any sense. Again, I remembered how it felt to be in his arms. Juvia looked like she wanted to argue with me, but the detectives came out of the bedroom before she could. Gray looked agitated, but Natsu looked determined.

"Who's hungry?" he said in a cheery attempt to lighten the mood.

Turns out, this didn't work out too well. Gray was obviously mad at him, and refused to speak all throughout dinner. Juvia was trying to placate Gray, and I was trying desperately to forget mine and Natsu's moment from earlier. Altogether, it made for a very awkward meal. When Gray announced that he was done, Juvia put both of their plates in the sink before following him into his bedroom, shooting a look at me as she shut the door. I tried to ignore her.

"So," Natsu started, clearing his throat. "If you wanna take a shower, you can use mine. I'll handle the dishes tonight." I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up his hand for silence. "It's been a long day. You deserve a break. Here, I'll grab you something to change into for tonight." With that, he got up and walked over to the other room, glancing over his shoulder to see if I was following. At his unspoken prompting, I set my plate in the sink and followed him. He rummaged around in his dresser drawers for a moment before pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Handing them to me, he gestured to the bathroom connected to the room and instructed me on how to work the shower. Then he left, shutting the bathroom door behind him.

As soon as I heard the bedroom door shut as well, I locked the bathroom door. Clutching the clothes tight to my chest, I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart. This wasn't a painful racing, though. It was an exciting racing. But it didn't feel like it did when I first started dating Dan either, though. It felt new, but not uncomfortable. I shook my head to clear it of the confusing thoughts as I turned the faucet, adjusting the temperature for my shower.

I looked in the mirror as I waited for the water to heat up. Glaring at my reflection, I again thought of dancing with Natsu. He doesn't deserve you he'd said. And you don't deserve any of this. How could he be so sure?

I stripped and stepped under the water, grabbing his shampoo. How could he be so sure I didn't deserve what had happened? People say everything happens for a reason, so what must I have done that was so bad? Was it because I'd lied to Dan so many times, saying that I hadn't gone to lunch with coworkers when I really had? I scrubbed at my scalp harder. Was it because a part of me still loved Dan, even after everything he'd done? Was it because I part of me was never really all that happy with him, but I stayed anyway?

I finished my shower and changed into the clothes provided. The sweatpants hung off my hips, and the shirt hung off my shoulders, but they were comfortable and warm. Wringing the water out of my hair with my towel, I stepped into the bedroom, about to walk back into the living room, only to see Natsu arranging pillows and a blanket on the couch. Juvia was standing by the front door, obviously getting ready to leave.

"He won't stay angry for long," she was saying, clutching her bag to her chest. "He's just worried. For both of you." I hung back, not fully opening the door.

"He needs to learn to mind his own business. I know that she's a victim. I don't need to be reminded all the damn time that we can't be together," Natsu replied, fluffing a pillow a little harder than necessary.

"For now," Juvia said, giving Natsu a warm look. "But when all of this is over, if you wanted to be together…"

"Even if that's what I wanted—and I'm not saying it is!—but even if it was, I highly doubt she'd want to be with someone so soon after leaving her ex. I crossed a line tonight, Juvia, but that doesn't mean I need to be lectured by Mr. Mom every time I do. I know when I've gone too far." He heaved a sigh. I decided now was a pretty good time to make myself known.

"Hey, Juvia. Are you on your way out?" I asked, causing Natsu to jump slightly. Juvia simply smiled at me.

"Yes, Juvia thinks it's time she headed home. I hope to see you again very soon, Lucy. Have a good night. You too, Natsu." He waved at her from the couch, suddenly very involved in putting together the makeshift bed. She giggled as she left, waving to us one more time before closing the door.

"Look," I began, just as he said, "Listen." We both laughed softly before I urged him to go first.

"Listen," he tried again, scratching the back of his head. "I went a little too far earlier. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" he paused, grappling for words. "I mean, I meant what I said, but…I shouldn't have…" He was beginning to look very frustrated.

"It's okay," I soothed, putting my hands up. "You were just trying to make me feel better. I…appreciate…what you said earlier. I'm not so sure I agree with you, but I appreciate the sentiment."

His eyes met mine for a long moment before he looked away again, pulling nervously at his scarf. "Okay. So, we cool?"

I smiled. "We're cool."

He gave me an easy smile. "Well, I should probably hit the hay. We have to be at the precinct early tomorrow. I set up some pillows and stuff for you to sleep here. I hope you don't mind bumming it on the couch."

"Not at all. Thank you for the blankets and such."

He gave me one last smile, one that lasted a little longer than necessary, before he walked past me to his bedroom. Right before he opened the door, he paused.

"Oh, and Luce?" I glanced up at him. "You may not believe me yet, but I promise you didn't do anything wrong. And you don't deserve anything that he did to you." With that, he closed the door with one more "Goodnight" thrown over his shoulder.

I curled up on the couch under the blanket, burying my head in my borrowed pillow and mulled what he said over in my head. You didn't do anything wrong. While I didn't believe him, I let myself pretend as I fell asleep. It wasn't the best night's sleep I'd ever had, but instead of nightmares I dreamed that I was dancing, being held my someone warm.

Holy shit, you guys. This is the longest chapter yet. This has definitely been the hardest chapter to write. I would say that I hope the aftermath of the dance scene between Natsu and Lucy wasn't too awkward, but it was supposed to be. Also, I had someone mention that they were hoping this would be a slow burn, and all I can say is, "Me too, bruh." Turns out I just super suck at writing them. Granted, Natsu and Lucy were friends for three weeks off screen before they started to develop feelings for each other.

Going off of that, I really hope y'all don't feel like their relationship is being rushed. The dance scene kind of popped into my head today, and it was just too cute, I had to add it. My Natsu's such a sweet pea, ain't he?

Also, yes, Gray did reference Moana. It was a good movie. Shut up.

I'd like to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed since my last update, and as always, I thank everyone for their continued support and understanding of my crazy school schedule.

I can't promise when I'll get the next chapter out, but I can promise I'll do my best to have it done as soon as I can.