I've been working on other stories, but I can honestly say that I missed this one a lot while I was writing...so don't worry! I won't give it up! Ok, so some sort of, (if not very), confusing things happen in this chapter. I just hope that you can bear with it until I explain it. :)

~Jacin~

The first things I saw when I opened my eyes again were my swords. They weren't that far away; that was a relief. I'd almost forgotten about the fact that I'd been wearing them, (stupid me), because of the whole...Abigail thing. My brain was still wrapping itself around that one. Honestly, though, it didn't have time at the moment. I had to focus on finding Lucy and explaining everything to her. That had to come first, because that was what mattered. The bad news was that I couldn't sense my platinum keys at all. They couldn't have been destroyed...so why couldn't I tell where they were?

I slowly became aware of the heat on my face. It was intense, so I wasn't sure why I hadn't noticed earlier. My vision was a bit blurry, but when I turned my head I was able to see a strange, black, doorlike area on the opposite wall. I raised my neck as my vision finally focused. Natsu was unconscious and tied to a post beside me, just as I was. I didn't have time to pay attention to the aching and stiffness in my neck; I wasn't sure what, but something was telling me that I had to move...something bad was about to happen and I had to stop it.

"Awake, are you?" I looked up to see Drau standing over me. I immediately attempted to lash out, but the ropes that held me restricted any contact between my fist and his face. I glared at him as he grinned at me, "Good, then we can finally proceed. I was considering waking you up by force. I wanted you to witness this; it's the least I can do for the one who made it all possible."

"Made what possible!?" I yelled.

His eyes showed amusement, "Well, you'll find out now, won't you?" He turned, "No need to wake your little friend up. He's not as important as you are. I don't owe him anything."

I watched as he stepped up onto a slightly elevated platform in the middle of the room. Seemingly swallowing up a largish area on the wall that the platform was connected to was the black door. It didn't seem like a door, actually; it was more like...a hole? The black was so dark that it seemed abyssal. The worst thing, though, wasn't the door, (which I had only just then discovered was the source of the intense heat that was plaguing the room).

The worst thing was that on either side of the door were Lucy and Abigail, similarly tied to their respective spots. Their arms were tied above their heads, and I could tell by the looks on their faces that the ropes were just as tight as mine were. Well, it was easier to tell with Abigail. She was sobbing uncontrollably, her eyes red and puffy, and struggling against the bindings. Lucy, on the other hand, was numbly staring straight forward. There were tears on her face as well, but they were silent. Seeing her there like that, crying yet holding in her pain, made my heart ache. I just had to get to her, to tell her the whole truth; then, everything would be fine. She would understand...wouldn't she?

A moment later, Lucy looked to me. Her eyes went wide. I smiled, trying to reassure that everything would be alright...that I would save her, (though I wasn't sure how at that exact moment). I'd forgotten what had happened, assumed that when she saw me she would know that I didn't love Abigail any longer…that I hadn't for a long time. That was dumb, though. She was hurt, and for a good reason. I'd been an idiot, lured in by the past; I'd been mesmerized by a future that I no longer desired.

When Lucy looked away I panicked for a moment inside. I was a bit worried that if I did succeed in freeing her and giving her the option to leave, she wouldn't. I thought back to the times when she would smile at me for no reason and a new pain sprung up within my heart. I bowed my head for a moment before I looked up again in determination. There was no way I was going to let her stay here; I would not let her go...not like what happened with Abigail.

"Lucy!" I yelled.

"Yes, keep yelling. It's not like she'll ever listen to you. She hates you now...because you betrayed her," Drau said calmly as he walked towards the empty hole in the wall. He was taking me too lightly. There was a strategy that I could use here...something I could do to tip this situation in my favor. Well, I'd still be screwed, and honestly I was relying heavily on one small hope, but it was better than nothing; as long as Lucy was safe in the end, it would be alright.

"Lucy! You have to listen to me!" I shouted.

"Stop, Jacin!" Abigail yelled. Yes, this is good.

"Lucy, I love you. I love you more than anything else! I need you to know that before we die!" I practically screamed.

"Jacin, stop saying that!" Abigail choked out.

"I don't care how cruel it makes me, I love you, Lucy!"

"Jacin!"

"Lucy, listen to me!"

"Why won't you love me!?" Abigail yelled. I fell silent. That was what I wanted; I didn't need to yell any longer. Lucy knew now. I knew that if Lucy knew that I didn't love Abigail any longer, she might believe those three words that I'd been repeating. She still wouldn't look at me, though. Had she not heard?

"See, she's broken. Do you know why? Because you broke her," Drau said. He then turned to the darkness. He reached towards the black hole and nearly touched it. I had a feeling that if he had, something bad would have happened. I could only watch, now. My keys were no where in sight. My swords were just enough out of my reach to taunt me in the darkness. Natsu was still unconscious, the no-good fire-spewer. I had to have hope, though.

"Now, we can finally see each other again," Drau said. He brushed some of his raven hair away from his face and looked into the darkness. That was when something started to churn on the other side of the darkness. At first I thought it was Drau's reflection, but I realized a moment later that the person that was surrounded by darkness didn't look like him at all. In fact, it was a woman.

"What the-" Abigail started. I saw recognition in her eyes, but the look faded before I could confirm that I actually saw it. Abigail always had been an expert at concealing her emotions. I guess seeing her crying had almost made me forget that fact.

Drau, however, was completely silent. He didn't speak a work for a while, just staring at the woman in the mirror. I couldn't see her clearly, but she looked vaguely familiar. "Alright, girls. It's time for you two to play your part," Drau said, turning to Abigail. He walked up to her and grabbed her chin.

"I never did like you," he growled. Abigail spat in his face and attempted to knee him right where it'd count, but he dodged her. He reached up slowly and wiped the spit from his eye. "And that is exactly why," Drau said with a grimace. I tugged at my ropes as hard as I could, but they wouldn't budge.

"Natsu!" I hissed. He didn't budge either.

"Bastard!" Abigail screamed, "Let me go!"

"Alright, I'll let you go. Right after I do this," he said, reaching forward and touching her forehead. As soon as he made contact, she fell limp. He caught her and pulled out a dagger to cut the ropes with. He set her free from the ropes, just as promised, and carried her closer to the dark hole.

"What are you doing, Drau!?" I yelled. He put Abigail on the ground, (well, more like dropped her), and turned to look at me.

"I would appreciate some silence from you. You're very annoying, and this requires a fair amount of concentration," he said, walking over to Lucy.

"Lucy! No, stop!" I yelled. I couldn't let him hurt her, I definitely couldn't. How could I be so weak!? That was the problem with being a celestial wizard. Without my keys, I was weak. No, that's wrong. I can't blame my weakness on the type of magic I use. That's childish. No, it my own idiocy, weakness, and helplessness that's to blame...myself. I'd let this happen, and now I had to watch my own mistakes unfurl in front of me. I'd have given almost anything to take Lucy's place at that moment. The one thing I wouldn't give? Lucy.

"STOP!?" I screamed as I watched more tears slide down Lucy's pale cheeks. Her eyes were red and she was looking directly at me. I saw unsurmountable sadness there, a sadness that I had caused. I wanted to charge across the room and rescue her, tell her that I loved her...that I was sorry for what I'd done. I couldn't, though, because of some puny ropes that were holding me back. "Lucy, remember what I said earlier?" I asked, "That's the truth." I couldn't yell any longer, "I hate myself for betraying you...for not being able to help you right now." I chuckled. "You're way out of my league, honestly. I'm just an idiot, but I need you to know that I'd have done anything. Anything." I stared into Lucy's eyes and they softened for a moment. I blinked.

I watched as she mouthed something, "Duck." I raised an eyebrow. Ok, so that's not really what I expect. That was sort of a 'yes,' 'no,' or 'maybe' confession. Last time I checked, 'duck' wasted a possible answer. I hadn't even the slightest inkling as to why she was bringing up aquatic avians right before we died and I was pretty sure that I'd never get the answer.

"YOU IDIOT! GET DOWN!" Lucy yelled. My eyes went wide. OH! Duck! Alright...I bowed my head and bent down as far as I could as a bright light enveloped me and something flew over my head at a high speed. I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard a splintering sound from behind me. When the room quieted, I slowly opened my eyes. There was smoke everywhere, but there was one thing that had disappeared. The pole that had been holding me earlier was gone, reduced to a short stump. I stood up and took a few steps away, stunned.

"What are you doing? We don't exactly have the time to spare, here," said a familiar voice. I looked around, and saw someone behind me.

"O-Othos?" I asked, surprised.

"You're damn lucky Lucy grabbed me, Kid," Othos said, dragging me away from the smoke cloud. The smoke, still suspended in the air, was Othos's doing. Of course, since he was my spirit, I could still see through it. For some reason, Drau had completely disappeared, which was suspicious. The door was still open, and the woman wasn't visible. Abigail was still unconscious on the ground. Lucy was looked around desperately.

"Othos, you get Natsu. I'll get Lucy and Abigail," I said to him. He nodded and headed towards Natsu without a word.

I ran and grabbed my swords and then did a u-turn, sprinting towards Lucy. I wished that I had my keys as I jumped up onto the platform where she was. I walked up behind her and slashed her ropes in half. She fell to the ground and I rushed to her side, "You're alright? He didn't hurt you?"

I didn't get any words in response; instead, she just tackled me. I felt her tears soak my shirt. She held onto me tightly, "You've got some explaining to do after this is all over." I hugged her back and buried my face in her neck. I wanted to stay like this forever, but I knew I couldn't. I hauled her to her feet.

"You can stand?" I asked her. She nodded warily.

"Probably," she replied. I smiled and lifted Abigail in my arms. The heat from the door was even stronger directly next to it, but I didn't pay it any mind. My focus was directed solely to an escape route. Unforunately for me, the only one I could see was a single door on the other side of the room. I looked to Lucy, but she was already on top of it.

I stepped down off of the platform and tossed Abigail over my shoulder. She was still unconscious, which was a real pain. This would've been a whole lot easier if she could walk for herself.

I looked at Lucy, "Thanks for summoning Othos. That probably drained you, right?"

"I don't think I could summon another spirit, if that's what you're asking me," she said with a weak grin. She was a tough one, that Lucy. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I loved her. Even after I'd been so, so harsh to her, she'd still kept loving me.

"Jacin, I can't wake him up," said Othos, joined our escape party.

"Shit, ok. Well, just carry him then?" I asked Othos.

My friend gave me an annoyed look, "It's not like I'm going to say no. Believe it or not, I would like to help you escape. I'd be pretty put off if you died, and I know that you wouldn't leave without this guy. That's why I'm also filling this god forsaken room with fog!"

I grinned, "Good call on that one."

"Thank you," he said as we stepped out of the fog. Lucy took hold of the doorknob and pulled, but it wouldn't open.

"It's not going to budge," she said desperately. Her eyes showed fear and panic, so I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, Luce. We're not going to die here. I'm not going to give up again," I said seriously. There was no way I was going to let my weakness get the best of me again like it just had.

"There you are." I froze as the voice permeated my chest. It echoed from every wall and disguised the location of the person it came from: Drau.

"Where are you, Drau?" I yelled, putting Abigail down and taking my swords from where they hung at my hips.

"And I would tell you that...why?" The last word sounded like it was coming from right behind me, and I could feel his breath on my neck. I whirled around to slash at him, but my blade only whizzed through empty air. I growled. Lucy looked at Othos, "Can't you see him?"

"I should be able to, but he's...everywhere. His life force is scattered all about the room."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I can't be sure. I've never seen anything like this before. It must be his magic," Othos said, "But there is something I can see; both Lucy's and your keys are sitting in the middle of the room."

I turned around immediatly and headed towards my keys. I could've sworn they hadn't been there before-actually, I knew they hadn't been there before because I couldn't even sense them earlier. Still, those were my keys. I could suddenly sense them again. I had to blame their disappearance on Drau's magic. Wait...

"Jacin, wait!" Lucy yelled. Apparently, she'd put two and two together at the same time I had. I leapt backwards just as a column of black magic shot down in front of me. I fell onto my back and slammed my head on the ground, but that was much better than getting incinerated by evil energy. I stumbled to my feet and Lucy ran to my side.

"Ok, good. You're not dead or missing a limb," Lucy said, "That was close."

"I thought I told you we weren't going to die in here," I said jokingly.

"Your word is not exactly 100% believable at the moment," she said.

"Why did you believe me?" I asked her.

She frowned, "I'll tell you later."

"How quant; two lovers reunited at last," said Drau's voice.

"Jacin, his energy is converging up on that platform," Othos yelled. I turned to where my spirit was dropping Natsu on his head. I frowned. Now is seriously time to wake up, Natsu! He was seriously starting to become dead weight.

"Do you have your keys? You'll need them," Othos asked.

I turned and looked at the ground, but my keys were gone. The momentary reunion between my spirits and I had evidently been cut short; I couldn't sense them any longer. "I guess I'll just have to wing it," I grumbled.

"It's a good thing you're all incredibly unobservant," Drau said. I looked up at the platform and a lump formed in my throat.

"Drau, what are you doing?" I asked, clutching my swords.

"All I need is a little blood, but it seems I'll have to make do with what I can get for the sake of timeliness," Drau said. He was holding his dagger to Abigail's wrist and was standing next to the abysal door. I hadn't even seen him take Abigail, but, then again, there was Drau's magic to consider. He'd probably stolen her with help from said magic.

What happened next was a bit hectic. Drau dragged the blade of the dagger along Abigail's skin and spilled her blood onto the door right as I threw my sword at him. My sword sliced open his arm before he disappeared right before my eyes. I pulled Lucy close to me just as a shockwave was emitted from the door. Suddenly, the door was glowing a faint red instead of the endless darkness. I could make out the woman again in the doorway.

"Lucy, stay close. He needs you, too," I said. She nodded and pressed her body closer to mine. Right as she grabbed onto my shirt, she gasped. I looked at her in confusion, but only saw an equally confused and stunned expression on her face. She was staring at something. I followed her gaze to the door. The woman there definitely looked familiar, but I still couldn't place it. She had blond hair and beautiful features, but a vacant expression that was almost eerie. She seemed like a shell of a person...a ghost.

"Luce, what's wrong?" I asked.

Lucy looked up at me and I was surprised to see tears in her eyes, "That person there...that's my mother."

Ok, so please, please R&R. I know this chapter wasn't very explanatory, but I had to get a bunch of information in to set up for the next chapter. I'd really like to know what you think. :)