Series: Fairy Tail, Fairy Tail Future
Type: On-going Fanfiction
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure
Pairings: NaLu, Gruvia, Gajevy, Jerza; Elfever, Miraxus; and their children.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters. Purely fan made. However, their children I created from my own imagination.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Cain breathed a sigh of strain once he felt they were somewhere in Magnolia. Each of them looked around and saw a lush forest around them. As Cain took deep breaths and Natalie rubbing his back, Lance spoke up.

"We're close to Wendy's house, or rather Miss Porlyusica's old house." Lance turned to look at Cain, Lydia still in his arms.

"I thought of Lydia…and immediately thought..of Wendy. She could help her.." Cain said raggedly. Natalie ssh'd him so he didn't strain himself anymore than he already had by teleporting them there.

"Good thinking, Cain." Ray said as he stood with Lucille's help.

Lance picked up Lydia so she was secure in his arms before he stood. Looking around he could tell they weren't too far off. Maybe five minutes away. "We aren't too far, ready?" He asked as he watched Natalie help Cain stand. Ray and Cain using Lucille's and Natalie's shoulders for support. They all nodded and they began to make their way towards Wendy.

"I was totally useless." Ray whispered. He couldn't do a thing for any of them, he could still feel the shock running through his body. He finally stopped phasing between his original form and his water body form. But he still felt so lethargic.

"Stop. You can't help what attacks affect you and what doesn't. Plus we had no way of knowing what their powers would be." Lucille reasoned. She knew Ray didn't like to not be able to protect them, but it happens sometimes. Like how none of them could protect Lydia. She sighed. "Thanks to Lydia, we can live to fight another day." Her voice wavered as she glanced at Lydia's unconscious form lying in Lance's arms, her right, seared arm dangling back and forth.

Ray watched her gaze and huffed. "No worries Lu." Lucille turned to him, her expression confused. "Lydia's tough. I mean, look at her parents. She'll make it out of this." He said giving her a smirk. He watched as her expression relaxed and she chuckled.

"Yeah, you're right."

Natalie had one hand around Cain's waist and the other holding his arm draped over her shoulders. "You did great getting us this far, Cain." She whispered giving him a bright smile that looked like Natsu's. She had no idea of his special training with Mest, and she was very proud of him for teleporting them all, even if he still hadn't mastered it. She was confident he could get them pretty far, he was Erza and Jellal's son after all. He had a great ability for getting the hang of any magic. She knew he was still trying to master Heavenly Body Magic too. Cain always pulled through when people needed him.

Cain looked at her, his breathing getting better. Her smile did wonders for him, even before they became a couple. She always made him lose his composure, and his heart beat uncontrollably when she was around. But this time, her smile comforted him. "Thank you, Natalie." He said giving her a warm smile in return. He voiced his worries to her only. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to. But I knew I needed to. So I just trusted my instincts and believed in all the training I was going through with Mest. I'm glad it payed off." He whispered.

"Of course it did!" She said enthusiastically, earning a chuckle from Cain. She gave him a kiss on his cheek and smiled, her cheeks reddening. She faced forward, stepping over a tree root. "You did well."

Cain looked at her surprised, but he smiled and laid his head against hers. "Thanks."

Lance bid his legs to walk faster but carefully, trying to get to Wendy as soon as possible. He saw the sky had begun to darken. Glancing down at Lydia he saw she was still breathing, but her breaths were ragged, and her whole body was burning up, beads of sweat beginning to form on her skin. 'Hang on, Lydia. We're almost there.' He thought. Just as he thought that, Wendy's home came into view. "Guys, we're almost there, can one of you knock on the door?" He asked.

"I can." Natalie volunteered.

And once they were there, Cain began to take his arm off her shoulder so she could, but Natalie gripped his arm firmly. He looked at her curiously when all of a sudden she raised her foot and began kicking the door repeatedly. Cain looked away, trying to hide his amusement.

"Ugh, Nat! That's not how he wanted you to knock, you know?!" Lucille groaned earning a sigh from Ray and Lance.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Wendy's panicked voice resounding from the other side of the door. When she opened the door and saw the group she smiled. But then she noticed their disheveled appearance, the marks from battle, and then Lydia's unconscious form. She narrowed her eyes, her expression turning serious as she went into healer mode. "Bring her in." She said stepping to the side as they walked in. As she shut the door she ordered Lance to bring her into the spare bedroom. As Lance laid her down, she asked. "What happened?"

"It's a long story.." Lucille muttered as she scratched her cheek.

"But the gist of it is we were attacked. Lydia became a conduit for these lightning attacks that we were being hit with. But as she redirected it, it left these marks and she passed out." Lance informed as Wendy looked over the scorch marks, Lance frowning as she did so.

"Thanks to her sacrifice we were able to get away with Cain's teleportation." Ray commented, but earning a glare from Lance at the word 'sacrifice'.

"I see. Lydia should have had no trouble absorbing lightning, but the remnants of the lightning are still there, and this type of lightning is different then the typical." She said with her hands glowing over the marks. She looked at the group. "You three go wait in the living room. I will tend to you all later." When they said they didn't need treatment, she gave them a look and they sealed their lips. "Natalie, Lucille, will you help me tend to her?"

"Sure." "Of course." Natalie and Lucille said respectfully in unison.

Lance, Ray, and Cain left the room and shut the door. Ray and Cain sat down heavily on the couch as they waited and rested. Lance began to pace with his arms crossed over his chest. Ray just watched him and sighed. "Lance-"

"Don't, Ray. Just don't." Lance said cutting him off harshly.

"It's not your fault." Cain chirped up in a soothing voice.

Lance looked at him sharply. "How is it not? I'm the one who trusted her even when my gut told me not too! It's my fault!" He shouted, making the two men flinch since Lance usually never raised his voice for anything. It was his fault. He gripped the back of the other couch opposite them.

"But if you hadn't, we still would have been stuck there. And they would surely have taken Lucille." Ray reasoned.

Lance glared at Ray but then bowed his head. "I know.." He muttered as he gripped the couch tighter. "I know that." But Lydia still got severely hurt. She was stupid to have thought of that! How could she have been so stupid!? He knew that wasn't true. Lydia was many things, but stupid was not one of them. She was calculating. She could see it once he put up his dome. He knew she thought of every possible outcome before she decided to use herself. She gained Mirajane's sacrificial love, unfortunately. 'Please..let her be alright…' He silently prayed. "Cain..can you bring her family? They deserve to know.." He said as he turned away from them to stare out the window.

Cain looked at Lance and nodded. He still had some energy left so he could probably make the trip to bring them here. "I'll be right back." He said as he stood and teleported away. A minute later, Cain came back with a panicked Mirajane, Laxus and Max. Afterwards, he staggered and fell onto the couch. 'Okay, no more teleporting for me..' He thought as he glanced at them.

"Where is she?" Laxus asked, his voice hard but demeanor calm. However, they knew he must be hiding his anger and worry underneath.

"Where's our little girl?!" Mirajane asked frantically.

"Wendy is tending to her." Lance said and turned around to face all of them. "I'm sorry. It's my fault." He said bowing his head a little.

"What happened?" Max asked cautiously. Noticing they were a little worse for wear themselves.

"Yes, we thought you were only visiting Sabertooth." Mirajane stated.

Ray was about to answer, but Lance cut him off. Knowing Ray would no doubt try to smooth the situation over so Lance wouldn't take the blame. "It's a..difficult story. But on our way back from Sabertooth we were attacked. Lydia helped us divert the enemy's attention so Cain could teleport us away."

"But how did she get hurt?" Laxus asked.

Lance looked at the ground. "Our enemy could use lightning magic, but it was something different than Lydia's. I had created a dome to shield us from the attacks, but I couldn't last for long. That's when Lydia decided to use herself as a conduit and redirect their attacks back at them. But..the Lightning was different and…left scorch marks on her skin and she passed out." Lance looked up. "She asked me to let down my dome once she was ready. She asked me to trust her even though I felt I shouldn't have." He breathed out, his body shook a little when he did. He tightened his hands into fists. He hadn't been paying attention when suddenly he was grabbed by his shirt and lifted to face Max's intense stare.

"Max!" Mirajane yelped in surprise.

Max held Lance's stare. "You allowed her to be put in danger." Lance only looked down, unable to defend himself. Max was right. Lance is always the smart one and should have considered all their options.

"If we hadn't of trusted Lydia…we would not have gotten away unscathed." Cain said calmly and rationally. "I'm sure Lydia knew that. That's why she sacrificed herself. Would you not have done the same for your team, Max?" Cain knew it was gutsy to challenge Max. And he was right to swallow the lump in his throat from fear when Max whipped his head to stare straight at him; and Cain doesn't scare easily.

Max knew Cain was right. He surely would have done the same for his team. It was a weakness that both he and Lydia inherited from their parents. That responsibility. He relaxed as he felt his mothers hand on his shoulder.

"Max." She cooed and he reluctantly released Lance.

"I'm not happy about this." He said. "You will pay for it by doing whatever Lydia asks. No exceptions." Max said as he walked away to lean his large frame against the wall.

Lance breathed out a sigh when Max's presence was no longer in front of him. He turned to look at Mirajane. She looked at him with such kind eyes and it killed him. 'Don't look at me like that..' He thought. He was the reason Lydia got hurt! Then, Mirajane wrapped him in a hug.

"Thank you for trusting Lydia. I understand it wasn't easy for you to make that decision." She whispered.

Lance shook a little as he heard her words of forgiveness. He still felt guilty but it had lessened. He rested his head on her shoulder for a moment and then pulled away, nodding. He looked to Laxus whom had his arms crossed. Laxus merely nodded, obviously agreeing with Mira's words. Just then Lucille, Natalie, and Wendy came out of the room.

Seeing Wendy, Lydia's family rushed over. "How is she?" Mira asked.

"May we see her?" Laxus asked also.

Wendy breathed in. "She'll live." They all sighed in relief. "She's in the clear but will need a couple days to recover. I've done something for her fever but the scorch mark is what took the longest. I believe I can make it so the scar isn't that long. But I'm not sure if her skin will be good as new." She said sadly. Lydia was a fashion model, her skin needed to be perfect. Who knew how she would take it. "She's asleep but you three may see her." She addressed to Mirajane, Laxus, and Max. They walked in and closed the door quietly. Wendy turned to Lucille and Natalie giving them a warm smile. "Thank you for your help, girls. You did quite well. You could definitely be healers if you chose to." Natalie and Lucille smiled bashfully, mumbling 'thank you's. Wendy turned to the boys. "Now let me tend to yours." When they went to protest she gave them a look that said 'don't argue with me'. She tended to Ray first. She applied some ointment to his cuts and gave him some powder to put in some tea that would relax his muscles from the attacks they suffered from. Then she tended to Cain and Lance, then Natalie and Lucille. Once they were all patched up she spoke. "I can tell their is more to your story than just 'being attacked.'" She said and they looked down. "So, I suggest reporting this to Master Erza, and all of Fairy Tail." She said but whispering the last bit, that didn't go unnoticed from Lance and Natalie. They all nodded.

Then Mirajane, Laxus, and Max walked out. Mirajane's expression seemed much more relaxed now that she'd seen her daughter with her own eyes. But her eyes still harbored a small amount worry, which was normal. Laxus's expression seemed much harder. If you looked at his posture you could see he was battling with himself over how he could help his precious little girl. He wouldn't fall apart, not in front of anyone. Max looked just as angry as when he had blamed Lance and had him by his collar. She looked like she was in pain, she was suffering. A low growl emanated from him quietly before he locked his eyes with Lance's.

"You." He said with his hands in his pockets. Lance seemed to stiffen as he waited for him to continue. "You will stay with her. Help her with anything and everything. No exceptions. Is that okay, Miss Wendy?" Wendy gave him a small smile and nodded. He watched as Lance's brows came together and then he sighed, nodding his head that he'd comply with Max's demands.

"Alright, let's go home boys. Lydia's in good hands with Wendy and Lance." Mirajane smiled and thanked Wendy once more before they filed out of her house. But not before she gave Lance a wink. He looked at her surprised, not sure what that was meant for but she smiled as Laxus closed the front door.

"You all should be off. Get some rest. But not before reporting to Master Erza." Wendy said as she looked at them. They all nodded, Lucille not hiding her nervousness well. They all said goodbye to Wendy and Lance, Natalie also giving Lance a wink.

'What the heck? What are they winking at me for?!' Lance thought utterly confused. He sighed and turned to Wendy who smiled.

"Come. You can sleep on the couch in the room Lydia's in. I'll bring you a pillow and some blankets." She gestured for him to go into the room while she went to get what he would need.

Lance hesitated, his hand hovering above the door nob. He closed his eyes, breathed out, and walked in. His eyes landed on Lydia's unconscious form. As he got closer, he noticed that she was sweating some. She had a type of cloth over every inch of the scorch marks that must have some sort of ointment. He didn't let his mind wander too far because it was obvious she wasn't wearing a shirt, only a blanket covering her chest. He averted his eyes to her face, a blush to his cheeks. Her brows were scrunched as she breathed in and out. His eyes softened as he brushed her hair out of her face. When he did he noticed her expression relaxed some and her breathing came easier. He couldn't help but smile, but he quickly stepped back and steeled his expression as he heard Wendy come down the stairs and into the room.

"Here you are." She whispered, lying the pillows and blankets on the couch. She walked back over to Lance and smiled, holding a bowl and with a wash cloth inside. "If you don't mind, when your not resting, would you use this bowl and cloth? Fill it with cool water and change the wash cloth on her forehead?" She asked softly.

Lance's eyes widened and he looked at the bowl and cloth, then to Lydia. His guilt returned but he thought it was the least he could do. For Lydia. He turned to Wendy and nodded, taking the bowl with the wash cloth from her. "Sure."

Wendy's smile widened and she nodded. "I'm going to use my magic and heal her a little more so go ahead and rest."

Lance did as he was told, setting the bowl on the side table by Lydia. He sat on the couch and rested his eyes. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep, only to wake up suddenly from his mind repeating what Lydia did for them, only this time, she died. His eyes were wide as he panted. He removed his head band and pinched the bridge of his nose. 'It was just a dream, Lance. Just a dream.' He thought as he glanced to Lydia. He looked at the clock and saw it was two in the morning. His body must have been really tired from the shocks he received. Wendy was long gone so he went and filled up the bowl with cool water and pulled up a chair beside the bed. Her expression seemed more serene, Wendy's magic must have helped. He removed her cloth from her forehead and using the new one, rung out the excess water, placing it on her forehead. Using the old one, he dipped it into the water and dabbed her neck and collar bone, careful not to interfere with the bandaged ointment for her marks. She wasn't sweating as much which was a good sign. After that, he sat there and just stared at her. He was suddenly taken back to a memory of her and him.

"Laaaance!" A voice cried.

Lance was about eight years old and sitting outside underneath a tree on a hill that overlooked the town of Magnolia. He was engrossed in a book, using his brand new gale force glasses that he had begged his mother for for his birthday to help him gain knowledge faster. Many books littered the ground around him. He heard the voice but ignored them until the owner of the voice stood directly in front of him.

"Lance! Didn't you hear me calling you?"

Lance sighed, looking up to see Lydia standing before him. She had her blonde fluffy bangs pinned to one side and the rest of her hair ending above her shoulders. She wore a white daisy printed, yellow covered sun dress with white sandals. She had her hands on her hips and she puffed out her cheeks. He inwardly laughed before she spoke.

"Come on! Don't you wanna play with us? We're playing the battle between Fairy Tail and Tartaros!" Young Lydia said proudly.

"No thanks." Lance said as he looked at his book again. Only for it to be placed in his lap by Lydia. She had bent down in front of him and looked at him with an expressionless gaze.

"Why not?"

Lance looked at her in surprised. She looked so genuinely curious. He swallowed and spoke. "Because I wanna be a great Mage like my mother. So I have to study real hard and get as much knowledge as I can." He finished with a blush to his cheeks. He glanced at Lydia who he found was smiling back at him. He was so surprised that he didn't move an inch.

"That's amazing, Lance!" She beamed and stood up only to sit beside him. He gave her a questioning look and she responded with. "Well, I'm not gonna leave you here all by yourself. So, I'll just have to learn whatever you're learning right now." She smiled.

Lance blinked, then broke into Gajeel's iconic giggle. "Gihee, alright then."

"So what are we learning today, teach?" She chuckled, a blush to her cheeks.

Lance smiled at her and picked up his book once more. "It's a book teaching you how to speak Latin." And from there he began to teach her while everyone else was off playing.

Lance realized as the years went on, Lydia was his constant companion. He never felt really alone because she was always there. How had he not realized she was always by his side? Even when he was reading she was always there. She was always eager to hear whatever it was that he had learned. And she always tried to help him with training too. But why hadn't he noticed? His eyes widened as he realized. Lucille. At the time he had a crush on Lucille. She was so bright and dazzling that he never had a second thought about Lydia. He then realized Lucille never really looked at him but at..Ray. Lucille did the same to him as he did to Lydia. He sighed, his elbows rested on his knees as he rested his face in his hands. He now noticed Lydia always gave him that look of adoration, devotion. She always laughed with him, never made him feel left out, and always wanted to hear his thoughts. He was a fool. To not realize what he had standing right beside him. Lance looked up at Lydia, then he squeezed her hand some.

"Lydia.." He whispered as he stood and kissed her cheek. "I'm so sorry." He said before finally having to take a minute and leave the room.
_

As the group left Wendy's they noticed it was almost nine-thirty. They rushed to the guild and when they walked in only Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, and Cana were left; Erza descending the stairs. Natsu looked up and broke out into a grin and was about to shout to them when he saw they were bandaged up. His expression grew stern as he marched over to the gang.

"What happened..?" He said in a low voice.

"Oh my goodness!" Juvia said as she rushed to her little boy. "Ray! What on Earthland?!"

"Ah! Mom, really I'm ok!" Ray said as she had pulled him into a hug.

"We need to speak with Master Erza." Natalie said as Lucille looked away. This didn't go unnoticed from Natsu and the others however.

"What is it?" Erza's calm voice echoed.

Lucille finally looked up at Erza's intimidating frame but relaxed as she saw her warm expression. "We should talk up in your office." And so they made their way upstairs. Once everyone was there save Lydia and Lance, Lucille began. She took in a deep breath. "The reason I went to Sabertooth is because I am being pursued."

"What?" Gray asked from his perch against the wall, his eyes narrow.

Lucille sighed when Ray and Natalie put a comforting hand on her shoulders. She nodded and began to tell them all the events from when they encountered Shizuka, and their findings from Sabertooth, until finally explaining they had been attacked on their way home. She told them of Lydia's sacrifice and that they only got away thanks to her. She told them her and Lance were safe at Wendy's and that she'd live.

"But why didn't you tell us?!" Lucy finally cracked. She felt so hurt that her own daughter who had disappeared and reappeared only recently still felt the need to shoulder everything on her own. A trait she realized, she had gotten from Natsu. She remembered many times how he'd shoulder his own burdens and leave her out of it. When she wanted so much to be there for him. She shook as she tried to keep herself from crying. "Do you not trust us that much?" She said as Natsu stood up to wrap his arm around her.

Those words broke Lucille's heart. That wasn't it at all. "N-no! I..I just didn't want to worry you until I found hard evidence on what they want with me. And we did with Yukino's help! You guys know how you are! One slip of me being pursued and you all would have marched into battle without knowing anything! I wanted to be rational and have an understanding before I worked you guys up!" She said loudly. She looked down. "I trust you all so much…that's why…I wanted to do as much as I could to help you all." She said, her hands balling into fists at her side.

Lucy walked up to her and wrapped her in a hug. She understood. That was a flaw of Fairy Tail. They were so eager to march into action if one of their own was in trouble. She sighed. "I understand." And she did. Her girl was so smart and strong. She pulled away and kissed Lucille's forehead just as a Natsu came and wrapped her in a hug.

"I agree with Lucille's judgement." Erza said after some silence. She turned to look at them after looking out of the large window. "You were smart, thoughtful, and resourceful. Especially for your age." She said proudly as she smiled.

Lucille, after Natsu let her go, smiled. But she shook her head. "I didn't do it alone." She turned to her friends. "If I didn't have them to keep me grounded, I would have been a complete mess." This earned laughter and chuckles from everyone.

Erza's smile vanished as she nodded. "Now that we know, we can plan." She whipped out her lacrima phone and dialed someone. When they answered she turned around and spoke. "Yes, it's me. We'll need your help. Yes, bring everyone. See you soon." When she hung up she turned to address the confused group.

"Who did you call?" Natalie asked. But she heard Cain suck in a breath.

"I've called in the Calvary." Erza said giving them a sinister smile. She turned to her son and nodded.

Cain stiffened but swallowed and nodded. "I'll get everything ready." Was all he said as he rushed out the door.

"Aaahh, that Calvary." Cana murmured with a smirk. Gray, Juvia, Natsu, and Lucy nodded in understanding.

Natalie looked at everyone else to see them knowing something she didn't. And she hated being out of the loop. "Alright, who is the dang Calvary?!" She said exasperated.

"Oh!" Ray said like he finally understood. "You mean that group?!"

Erza smiled. "Yes, Ray. The group that moves in the shadows."

Lucille gasped before she whispered. "The Crime Sorcieré…"

And here's probably the longest chapter. Lol I made it long cause last time it was so short and I wanted to fit everything in since it was nighttime.
Yes I am bringing in Crime Sorcieré cause well…you'll see why. Hehe
So I hope you'll look forward to the next one. ^_~