Hey Fairies! Decided to get started on the chapter :D The story's almost done! Yayyy :DD And…I'm gonna have an epilogue next chapter…this is where Natsu comes in ;)

Anyways, welcome to Stage 2, Part 2! Enjoy :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

"The breakdowns begin to hit. You walk into your room and scream and cry until your voice cracks under the stress. You throw things until they break and punch walls until you are a mess of drywall and blood. The saddest part is, does anyone really know which one is worse?"

3rd Person's POV

It's weeks later when she starts to break down. As she walked back into her room, she catches sight of a framed picture. A happy girl with a laughing face, in the arms of a boy with hair like a lion's mane. She's in his arms and they're happy, carefree.

Lucy stops to stare at the photo. She doesn't recognize that girl anymore. The girl who trusted freely, who loved freely, who was carefree and happy and easy to please. That girl was dead, gone. Now she was nothing more than an empty husk of herself.

With a shrill scream, she hurls the photo at the nearest wall. The glass frame shatters as it hits the wall and it flies everywhere, all over her and the ground.

Lucy screams again and slams her palms onto the ground. The pieces of the frame cut her hands, but she doesn't care. There's a rage inside her that can't be tamed. She starts hurling picture after picture, of the dead girl and the boy she used to love. Glass and wood and metal hit the walls, cracking the once smooth plaster and shattering once it hits the floor.

She's bleeding now, all over the floor. Her small, pale hands, are bleeding and cut in places where she didn't even know she could be cut. But she doesn't feel the pain.

~.~

Another flash of anger hits the next day. As she walks into her room, her red rimmed eyes land on a glittering pale pink and diamond necklace. He gave it to her, on their first anniversary. Within a split second, the necklace is in her hands and she chucks it against the wall, sobbing as she did so.

Her eyes land on a porcelain box with a pink butterfly on top. His too. It slams against the wall, shattering into a million pieces. She's close enough that some of the porcelain shards fly back and cut her arms and face.

A pen. A pillow. A picture he drew her. A book he bought. A classy black jacket he let her keep. A ring with a heart, containing the letters L + L. Hundreds of love letters and anniversary cards and birthday cards. They're all ripped to shreds, thrown across the room, or just ruined by the blood starting to splatter on the floor and the objects, or the plaster that came off the wall.

Lucy's crying again. She collapses onto the ground, holding herself tightly, in the mess of blood and debris.

~.~

The next time she throws a fit, she gets an unexpected visit. She was screaming as she punched the nearest wall. Her breakfast plate lay on the floor in pieces, food everywhere, her phone buzzing loudly, but still on one text.

929 - 753 - 2912: Lucy, I heard you got a new phone and number. So I managed to steal Aquarius's phone and get it. It's Loke, btw. I still love you. So please come back to me. I know I'm a jerk for leaving you, but I was hoping we could try again. Or actually, I have a better idea. Will you marry me?

Her fist slams against the wall as she lets out a heartbroken howl. Blood is mixed in with tears.

"THE FUCKING BASTARD! I HATE HIM! I DESPISE HIM! I LOATHE HIM! I HATE HIM I HATE HIM I HATE HIM! SON OF A MOTHERFUCKING BITCH! DICK FACE! ASSHOLE!" she sobbed.

Her hands were bloodied, bruised, and blistered from hitting walls, but she didn't care. The plaster cracks underneath her next punch, just as the door bursts open.

"LUCY!" a voice shouts.

She doesn't hear the voice as she punches the walls, over and over. A girl with blue hair and another with dark brown, steps into the dining room, where she was punching the walls. The bluenette gasps and covers her mouth, while the other gaps in disbelief.

"LUCY!" the bluenette screams, running over to her friend as Lucy sets herself to punch the wall again.

The bluenette throws her arms around her friend and the brunette catches Lucy's fist.

"LUCY! STOP!" the brunette roars.

She stops, her eyes wide, her body shaking.

"C-cana? L-L-Levy-chan…"

"Oh Lu…" Levy whispers sadly, running her hands over the bruises on her hands, the cuts on her arms. "Let's get you cleaned up."

~.~

Cana hands her friend a cup of hot cocoa as Levy wraps multiple blankets around Lucy. She starts bandaging Lucy's hands when she finishes.

"You could've came to us, you know," Cana says after a moment of silence. "You didn't have to be alone."

"That's how I've been all my life," Lucy replies bitterly. "Alone."

"Oh Lu." Levy shakes her head as she gently wraps a bandage around the blonde's hand. "You have friends. That's why we're here."

"I know."

Cana scrutinizes Lucy, her gaze flittering up and down her body.

"What?" Lucy demands.

"Girl, I know you just took a bath, but you're still a mess," Cana finally says. "And how long has it been since you've actually eaten?"

Levy stops and looks as well. "Oh my god Lu-chan! What happened? You're skinny and pale as hell!"

"I probably look like death," Lucy admits.

"Worse than death, if that's even a thing," Cana grumbles. "I'm gonna go make food for you."

She stands up and walks into the kitchen.

"No alcohol Cana!" Levy calls as Lucy murmurs, "Thanks."

"Please, explain, Lu," Levy pleads. "We haven't seen you in months and you and your place looks horrible!"

Lucy begins to explain what happened after one of the parties, her voice cracking a bit as she got to the first message Loke had sent. She ends with Loke's latest proposal.

"So yeah. Loke proposed and I threw another fit and you guys came."

"Oh Lu." Levy throws her arms around Lucy and hugs her tightly. "I'm so sorry."

"It's…it's fine."

"No!" Lucy startled by her friend's change in tone. "It's not okay! Cana and I abandoned you when you needed us most! You hurt yourself! You broke down! And it's all because of some asshole who broke your heart and is now asking for you back!"

Levy buries her face into her hands and Lucy hugs her friend back.

"Levy-chan, if anything, I should be crying," she jokes weakly. "And you should be comforting me."

"Ah! I'm sorry!" she cries.

"Honestly, you two are so dramatic," Cana teases as she comes into the room with three bowls of soup. But her voice was a bit soft.

"Thanks Cana." Lucy takes a bowl and gulps it all down.

Cana starts to talk about Gajeel.

"So, I don't know if you remembered, but Gajeel wanted to go kill Loke. God, my muscles still hurt from trying to restrain him! And it didn't even work! Gajeel went right to work and Loke walked out with a broken arm and leg!"

Lucy giggles a bit. "Serves him right." She takes a sip from her mug. "Tell Gajeel thank you for me."

"Of course!" Cana winks playfully.

"How's the cafe been doing?" the blonde queries curiously. It had been weeks since she had been to Starlight Cafe, her workplace.

"Pretty good," Levy says nonchalantly. "Mavis says to take all the time you need. Mira, Lisanna, and everyone else sends their love. We miss you."

"Oh!" Cana suddenly squeals. Her eyes are shining. "Levy! Tell her about him!"

Levy sits straighter, her eyes gleaming. "This weird guy came in last week and he immediately picked a fight with Gajeel!"

"Not to mention he was totally hot," Cana chimed.

Lucy's jaw drops. "How? Gajeel works in the back rooms!"

The bluenette shrugs. "We were understaffed that one day so she had Gajeel work as a waiter. And the guy walks in and gives Gajeel a once over before yelling something along the lines of a 'metal faced bastard.'"

The three girls burst into laughter at the story.

"What did he look like?" Lucy presses. "And don't say 'hot,' Cana."

"It's true!" the brunette insists. "He was!"

The blonde rolls her eyes and turns to Levy.

"He had really spiky hair and slanted black eyes! His table manners are absolutely horrifying! He eats like Gajeel and Laxus, except even more so!" Levy describes.

"Oh my god!" Lucy laughs. "How could anyone have worse manners than Gajeel and Laxus?"

"This guy!" the bluenette grins.

"Don't forget! His hair was pink!" Cana adds.

"Oh yeah! It wasn't like neon pink, but more like salmon pink," Levy says cheerfully.

Salmon pink. Something nagged at Lucy in the back of her head.

"D-did you get his name?" she whispers.

"Um…" Levy tilts her head up thoughtfully. "It was like…Nathan? No…that doesn't sound right…"

"Gray said his name…" Cana muses. "Oh yeah! He got into a fight with Gray too! I swear, the cafe was almost ruined because of those three!"

"His name?" Lucy prompts.

"Oh yeah! I remember now!" Levy snaps her fingers. "His name is…"

Honestly don't know where this chapter was going…but that's okay. Epilogue is next! Would love a review, favorite, and follow ;) Happy late New Year everyone!

~ Soul