"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF MY HUSBAND!"

"Sting-" Rogue breathed relief washing over him as a weak smile graced his face. "Sting-"

The feeling was quite short lived.

"Well as much as I'd like to do some sitting down with an old friend, now's just not the time," Montoya smirked, nuzzling his face into Rogue's hair, taking a deep inhale before exhaling with satisfaction causing Rogue to shudder in disgust. "You and I have a date to make and a playmate play with."

Rogue gasped in pain as the man pulled a gun seeming out of nowhere and jabbed it hard into his lower back. Rogue gulped as he was forced to follow his living Nightmare's lead, least he wanted his intestines blown out in front of Sting. With tears begin to reform, he was about ready to accept his fate, until, that was, he saw a familiar 2009 dark blue Toyota Tundra truck that he was being pulled toward. Rogue's eyes widen when something clicked in his mind allowing him fight back even harder as fear began to drown his brain out of any and all coherent thought leaving only one to stay afloat.

It was Gray's stolen truck- Which could only mean-

"STING!" Rogue screamed, as he struggled violently in Montoya's tight grasp as the bastard began dragging him away, ignoring the pain in his back. "STING!"

"ROGUE!" Sting yelled, pushing his legs to go faster. The poor limbs felt like they were about ready to burst. "HANG IN THERE, ROGUE! I'M COMING!"

"STING! STING!" Rogue, fueled with renewed energy, thrashed against the man's hold, trying to break his grip. "HE'S GOT NATSU! HE'S THE KIDNAPPER! THE TRUCK! THE TRUCK!"

"Your screaming is starting to irritate me."

Everything happened too fast for the dark-haired man. The minute he felt the gun's muzzle being pulled from his back and the sudden loss of Montoya's body weight, was the minute Rogue smelled trouble. From there on out, everything seemed to happen all in slow motion, as Rogue moved his head to side to get a look and understand as to what was happening only to have his only visible eye grow wide as Montoya raised the hand that held the weapon, high, before smashing the flat side of the gun upside against Rogue's temple, causing a large wave of pain to enter his brain and a small trickle of blood to flow down from wound created from the impact.

"ROGUE!"

Rogue struggled to remain on his feet and remaining conscious before groaning and falling against Montoya's body. He whined as he tried pushing away from his captor only to find himself being dragged toward Gray's parked truck, Rogue struggled weakly as the darkness tried to consume him. He couldn't possibly allow the sick bastard such an easy feat, but the pain was becoming too much.

"No- No. Nngh-" Rogue looked up toward Sting, eyes glazed with tears and pain as darkness started to close in faster. "Sting... Help- Help me-"

Montoya smirked as Rogue's struggling slowly ceased and he was able to reach the truck just as Gray and Sting leapt over the small wall that held the parking lot, still racing at him just as he threw the door open and threw Rogue, who groaned, onto the backseats. He raised the gun and pointed it right at the two men before opening fire on them as he moved toward the driver's door, forcing both men to take cover behind a small SUV.

"SHIT!" Sting growled, as he pulled out his own weapon. He made to stand up only to have his arm yanked on forcing his body to be pulled back down next to Gray.

"We can't get close enough!" Gray shouted. "Not unless we want to be blown to pieces."

"I can't abandon Rogue!" Sting argued, facing Gray. He looked away as his grip slackened, tears appearing on his face. "It's worse enough I couldn't protect Natsu... Don't- Don't make me lose Rogue too."

"We won't," Gray reasoned gently. "I understand that we need to save Rogue but we also need to capture this man- Alive- He's the only clue we have to saving Natsu."

"Yeah yeah," Sting grinned, wiping his eyes. "You're right. Let's get this bastard!"

Sting and Gray stood up the minute Montoya ceased fire and pulled himself into driver's seat just as Sting raised his gun, ready to retaliate. His eyes grew wide in panic as his grip faltered once more when the truck came to life and started to peel off down the road, with Sting chasing after it.

"NO!"

Gray stood rooted to the spot, brain frozen, as he watched the truck, HIS truck, escaping with the one piece of evidence that would help him save his pinkette as Sting ran to try keep up with said piece. He absentmindedly looked to the small SUV he still stood next to and before he realized it, he brought his elbow up and smashed the window, shattering it to pieces. Ignoring the bleeding pain in his elbow, he quickly unlocked the vehicle before he threw up the door and ripped out the underside panel underneath the steering wheel till he pulled out a large bundle of wires and began fiddling with them until-

The car engine suddenly roared to life.

"Sweet."

Without another word, he quickly jumped into the seat, slamming on the gas and began chasing after his truck- But not before stopping for a quick pick-me-up.

"Get in!"

"What the- Did you steal and break into someone's car?!"

"Not now! GET IN!"

"You know how I get-"

"GET. IN!"

Without leaving any room for argument, Gray suddenly kicked the passenger door open and threw himself across the seats and yanked Sting into the car before slamming his foot back on the gas and began to resume his chase. Sting groaned as he leaned far back into his seat that the seat would allow as his stomach began to churn from Gray's crazy driving...

"Jeremy? Hey- Yeah... It's me."

Rogue gave a small whimper as he began to regain conciousness, finally winning against the darkness. He slowly turned his head and looked to his captor.

"Yeah. They're on to me... Literally. Yeah- Uh huh."

Rogue groaned as he tried to wriggle his way into a sitting position. He hissed as his stomach decided to give an unpleasant churn after a large bump, halting all movement the dark haired man attempted to make.

"If I'm not back in one hour..." Rogue shakily turned his head to see Montoya's face in the review mirror he trembled under the look he had on his face. "Finishing the 'Marking' process without me 'kay? You'll be fine, just remember what I told ya'. If Natsu fights back- just beat him."

Rogue whimpered as he watched the grin grow darker.

"I dunno... Pick one."

Natsu...

They chased Montoya down the dirt road, passing other cars on the road as they passed over a bridge across large lake. Gray applied as much pressure to the gas peddle that would be allowed by the mechanics of the car, but it seemed to be in vain, for no matter how hard he tried, his truck seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Why did he had to have the truck with the most horsepower?

He was being to think that Montoya was really going to escape, with another victim, when seemingly out of nowhere, a black 2015 Ford Mustang came barreling out at Gray's truck and smashed headlong into it's side causing the truck to veer right, almost in a complete circle until it came to a complete halt on a steep cliff that overlooked a murky banks of the lake. Gray slammed on the breaks so as to avoid the collison himself.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH

SMASH

"ROGUE!"

Sting, disregarding any all dangers as well as his recently developed motion sickness, jumped out of the vechile as he ran the slope, just as the truck leaned forward and rolled down the steep slope until it splashing into the murky water and slowly pushing its way into the water bank, slowly consumed by the water. Sting followed the truck as he slipped and slide trying to reach the slowly sinking truck screaming as he jumped into the cold water.

"ROGUE! ROGUE!"

"SHIT!" Gray cursed as he jumped out of the car himself and began chasing after the blonde. Not before stopping to give the driver of the mustang a piece of his mind. "DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING-"

Gray's voice died the minute the car door opened and out jumped-

"L-LAXUS?!"

"FUCK!" He hissed as he passed Gray and moved toward the sloped hill. "Didn't think that would happen! Shit! Don't stand there and look stupid! Let's hurry!"

"R-r-right..."

What the hell was Laxus thinking?!

Rogue had never felt this terrified in his entire life. Sure, there was a time, but now it was replaced with what was happening right here and now.

Montoya was already speeding down the road, cutting corners awfully close and with size of the vehicle, Rogue was actually surprised that the truck didn't roll around due its heavy weight. Rogue felt the top of his head smack the door as he felt the his kidnapper took another sharp turn before he accelerated faster then before on a long stretch of road. Rogue groaned as his stomach began to reach his throat before-

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH

SMASH

Rogue was practically thrown around the backseat of the truck like a ragdoll until he somehow ended up sitting upright in the seat just as the lower left half of the truck, where his legs were, was suddenly bashed and crushed in, shattering the windows to glitter while knocking Montoya out and forcing the truck to veer violently to the right and forcing Rogue's stomach to expel all its contents on the floor, the seat and himself. The tires screeched to a halt as all the glass, save for the one next to Rogue, busted and the airbags deployed before coming to a complete stop; its front end teetering dangerously over a steep slope that led into a murky bank of a lake. He shuddered, coughing several times to get the taste of bile out of his mouth as rested his head against the shattered window, closing his eyes and trying to even his breathing before he felt the car give a sudden lurch. He froze.

Oh no...

He gasped and opened his mouth in a soundless scream as the truck barreled straight down the steep slope, bouncing Rogue up and down in his seat violently before it made quite the splash into the lake's water. The truck continued it's path, deeper and deeper into the water until the front of it was completely submerged. Icy water began flooding into the vehicle, causing a wave of panic and fear to wash over the dark haired man as he struggled to escape the rope that tied his arms together as the water rose to his chest and the truck continued to inch slowly further into the lake. Hot tears made themselves known on Rogue's face.

No.

"ROGUE! ROGUE!"

Rogue couldn't hear Sting's cries over the sounds of his frantic beating heart and pulsing brain. He began to hyperventilate as the water rose up his chest and toward his neck, his struggling became more frantic as he fought against the ropes harder, trying to escape as the water rose higher and higher.

"No- No!"

The car was sinking further and further into the murky depths and the water had reached his jawline by the time Rogue noticed Sting, who was practically beating at the still strong shattered window to gain Rogue's attention.

"STAND BACK!"

Rogue did as he was told, though the rising water made it difficult to move very far as Sting raised his arm up and smashed the window with his elbow somehow propelling the car to sink faster, allowing more water to slip and completely consumed Rogue, Sting, Montoya and the truck. Rogue took in a deep breath as he was completely submerged in the icy water and could feel himself floating slightly in his seat, still struggling to escape his bonds. He gasped, letting valuable oxygen escape his mouth as he felt something yank him closer to the now busted window, he could felt something akin to hands slide down and free his hands just as Rogue's lungs began to burn and his eyes begin to blur. He looked over his shoulder and found Sting, underwater with him trying to pull him through the window just as Rogue felt himself losing consciousness from lack of oxygen, allowing water to enter his lungs at a rapid pace.

He was drowning.

Sting was being to grow desperate as the truck kept moving further into the lake until it was entirely submerged, its truck bed being the only thing seen in the shallow waters. Sting took a deep breath before diving and making quick work of Rogue's tied wrists, yanking him close before freeing them and he quickly started pulling Rogue through the busted window just as the dark haired man let out a gasp that released precious oxygen into the dark depths and began losing consciousness, hanging lifeless through the water. Sting began to panic as he wrapped his arm around Rogue's waist and with a powerful kick, Sting swam to the surface just as his own lungs began to burn from lack of air.

SPLASH

Sting broke through the surface and took large gulps of air into his hungry lungs before he stole a quick glance at his husband, who seemed to have grown more pale with every passing minute. He quickly shifted Rogue's unconscious form onto his back and began to swim carefully, so as not to have Rogue's head end up back underwater, toward a flat part of the shoreline, ways from the slope as Gray wadded out to meet them.

"Help me get him to shore!"

"What about Montoya?"

"Let the sick fucker rot in his watery grave!" Sting snarled causing Gray to recoil slightly. "Far as I'm concerned- Best way for him to go!"

"A-Aye-"

They reached the flatter part of the shore in no time with the combined efforts of both Gray and Sting. Sting quickly, but carefully, placed Rogue onto his back into the soft gravel and sand mixture before he placed an ear to the dark haired man's chest. Sting's eyes grew wide and could feel his world crumbling underneath him.

There was no heartbeat.

"No..." He whispered. "NO!"

Before Gray could ask what was happening, Sting gently tilted Rogue's head back before he sealed his lips over Rogue's, cheeks puffing twice before he pulled away and placed both hands on top one of another and pumped the area on Rogue's chest just below the sternum. After five hard pumps, Sting paused and placed his ear back to Rogue's chest. Tears began to form as he pulled back and repeated his actions.

Still no heartbeat.

"No NO!" Sting growled as he pushed against the unconcious man's chest. Tears burning at the corners of his eyes. "Don't die on me, Rogue! Not here! NOT NOW! PLEASE!"

After the fifth time that Sting performed CPR, Gray could feel hot tears burning on his own eyes and cheeks as they began losing hope that Rogue could be spared, only to have the dark haired man suddenly burst back to life with a large gasp, expelling the water from his body and turning to his side as a violent series of coughs erupted from his body as oxygen began to move back in where the water once stood.

"Thank the Gods-"

Sting could feel tears joy escaping down his face as he reached forward and pulled the trembling yet still hacking dark haired man into his arms. Rogue whimpered, still coughing as he reached a hand out blindly and grabbed a hold of Sting's shirt, trying to pull himself closer as his coughing fit started to die down, trying to catch his breath and shivered from the cold. A sob escaped Rogue's tender throat.

"Sting-"

"Shh- Shhh... It's okay, baby, it's okay," Sting cooed, hugging Rogue closer and rubbing his back soothing circles while rocking back and forth. "I'm right here- I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Gray smiled at the warming scene in front of him. He was so glad Rogue made it and was bit sadden from the lack of his own partner but all feelings left was quickly shattered with the appearance of a soaking Laxus, who carried a black box under one arm and the body of Montoya in the other.

"Laxus?"

"Can't believe you fucktards," He growled low in his throat. "You saved the kid but you left two damning pieces of evidence behind."

He placed the black box gently on the ground.

"I think it's one." Gray muttered.

Laxus raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Gray flinched. "Montoya's dead. He was knocked unconcious and was underwater just as long as Rogue was. What good is he to us now?"

"Fair point." Laxus nodded. "After all, 'Dead men tell no tales'."

"Huh?"

Without waiting for an explanation, Laxus suddenly lifted Montoya to his eye level by the means of his collar, studying the pale and cold body in front of him. Before either Sting or Gray could ask what he planned to do, Laxus suddenly brought his fist right into the man's gut, with force that even Gray could somehow feel, forcing the icy fresh water to expel from Montoya's body and him to regain conciousness and life, coughing and spluttering as Laxus dropped him roughly on to the ground.

"B-B-B... Bast- Bastard." Montoya coughed as he slumped onto the ground.

"Seems fine to me," Laxus grinned. Sting and Gray shivered. "Gray!"

"A-Aye?"

"Call up Freed and have him pick us up. And tell him to bring a shit ton of blankets!"

"A-Aye."

What WAS he thinking?

Natsu wasn't sure how much time had passed by since Jeremy and Montoya had been gone but he was thankful for it none the less.

Within the time it took for the sick bastards to return, Natsu took the time to quickly tidy up the mess he made, sweeping stray wood chips under the bed and returning it to a look that made it seem that nothing was out of the ordinary. It took a while long to set the now broken table back up with its now missing leg holding up, allowing it to be at the ready. Truly thankful indeed that the sick bastard didn't show up then or all would have been lost.

Natsu gently lied his tender body onto his side on the bed, a small pained gasp escaping his lips near the now weaponized bedside table, waiting for Him to return. He didn't have to wait much longer as the sounds of something squeaking and rattling could be heard followed by the pair of heavy footsteps and a familiar hated voice that had no doubt, left Natsu trembling.

"Really? How close? Right behind you? That's fucking close, god damn that fucking Gray fuck."

Natsu instinctively pulled a plush pillow close to his body holding it tightly against his chest. Nothing could describe the anxiety and fear he felt right then and there.

"What the fuck am I going to do then? This is my first time and I really don't want to fuck it up."

'First time?' Natsu blinked, lifting his head slightly to look at the door. 'First time at what?'

"Dude, I don't think that I can... Yeah yeah, I know you did but- " Natsu couldn't stop shivering once the door handle began to turn slowly and was pushed open with a loud creak. His eyes widen. "Oh~ I don't think I need to pull such extreme measures. My sweet, sweet little Natsu knows better about fighting back... Or at least he should, if he knows what's good for him."

He closed his eyes tight and curled around the pillow as fresh hot tears began to make themselves known. He was being to regret his plan. He jumped upon the feeling of a large warm hand on his bare shoulder and sucked in a startled breath as he felt himself being tilted backwards to face Jeremy. He trembled under the dark grin on the man's face.

"Where do you think I should mark him?"

Natsu whimpered. Mark him?

As in- Like a slave?

"Then I pick his eyes." His grin seemed to have grown in size, Natsu's eyes began to flood with tears. "I really do love his eyes."

Natsu stiffened, feeling that disgusting hand cupping his cheek before running a thumb across his left eye as Natsu closed both eyes and sucked in a shaky breath. He wasn't liking this one bit, he wasn't liking the sound of it period. His eyes snapped open and he looked to his captor with the utmost look of fear that couldn't be described by even the pinkette himself.

"They are the most beautiful part of him... They always were. I guess it's a good thing that he was saved and I didn't get to gut him that night."

Memories.

Horrifying, terror-laced memories surfaced as fear gripped Natsu and refused to let go. It can't be- No...

He was THAT Jeremy?

The very same, thin and dirty-looking man who attacked him when he and Gray were working his case with Erza and Lucy when he and Gray decided right then and there to get into a big fight on a really dark night, when Natsu was walking home, alone, angry, down a dark alleyway and solely attacked him just rip out his eyes to put them on display?

But- But that was impossible!

The last Natsu heard, Erza told him that he was on Death Row, waiting for a verdict and then was told by someone else he died sometime about a year ago... At least- That was what Sting told him...

Natsu could feel tears running down his face in torrents.

Why would Sting lie to him?

He was ripped violently from his thoughts when he felt the a hand tightly gripped and yank his jaw, forcing the pinkette to face him before he smashed their lips together in a brutal kiss. Natsu clenched his his teeth together tightly, whimpering as he felt the bastard's tongue slip past his lips, but he refused to allow that slick appendage to intrude any farther then it had already. Regardless if it ended with this bastard's cock up his ass. Weak attempt, he knew, but he was going to fight this down to the last straw.

He gasped in pain as the grip on his jaw tightened, allowing Jeremy access into his mouth to explore his warm caverns. He pulled back to stare into Natsu's tear-filled eyes with lust in his own as a dark smile graced his face.

"Nobody should be allowed to see such beauty," He breathed huskily, before he lowered his head toward his neck. "So one should suffice. Don't you agree... Perhaps the left?"

Natsu let out a pained cry as he felt Jeremy's teeth sink into his neck hard, probably drawing blood, and Natsu placed his hands against his bare chest trying to push him off. Again, in a weak attempt as he knew.

"Shame you won't have 'Big Brother' to help hold your hand in during the process," he grinned to the flesh. "I can promise you it's a rather painful ordeal."

Natsu whimpered as he felt Jeremy move lower and began kissing and biting the exposed flesh of his collarbone. He froze and stared at his tormentor with wide eyes.

"Hear Rogue's eyes are a lovely shade of red... So deep a color of red that no one has yet to name it," he smirked as he began fiddling with the strings of Natsu's corset. "I wonder how good those eyes would look on display- On, let's say a little china doll?"

Something inside Natsu had finally snapped.

"You- You-"

"Hmmm?" Jeremy looked up, a dark smile spreading on his face. "What's wrong, Doll Face? Sad Rogue's not gonna come over and keep you company?"

Everything seemed to happen in a blur. Natsu's hand had shot out and somehow found its way around the broken table leg before he pulled it out from right out under the table, causing it to collapse. Natsu had never felt so angry or disgusted in his entire life as he raised the leg high above his head and swung it with everything he had left in him.

"STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY MAMA ROGUE YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH!"

CRACK

Natsu heard the sickening crack before the rest of the scene unfold before him. The table leg had smashed itself against the left side of Jeremy's head, around the thickest part of the skull, causing Jeremy to to be thrown against the bed from the impact before bouncing back and falling to the carpeted floor with a thud. Natsu groaned, before weakly raising himself onto his elbows so as to push the rest of his body up off the bed, glaring angrily at the man who spent almost four days torturing him. Gods, he never felt this weak and yet oddly satisfied in such a long time.

Other then that 3 hour track run he and Gray challenged each other to in middle school.

"Bastard..." He growled low in his throat as finally succeed in sitting up right, legs dangling over the bedside before touching the ground. "Serves you right..."

He pushed himself up onto his feet, staggering slightly in place from the beatings and the lack of nutrients his body needed, before he fell to his knees and began searching the unconscious man's body as blood slowed oozed from the open gash on Jeremy's head. He grinned the minute his hand brushed past a pocket that made a faint clinking sound and thrust his hand down and grabbed a hold of a ring of different sized keys. He snickered.

"What torturer carries around the keys to his prisoner's chains? And without any thought to what the prisoner's capable of under such conditions?"

Natsu found the key to his chain cuff fairly fast and quickly freed his leg from the bruising grip of the metal cuff. He breathed a sigh of relief, flexing his ankle around in the newfound freedom before a dark grin smeared its way onto his face. He gingerly picked up the chain cuff that was once attached to his leg and snapped it shut around one of Jeremy's wrists, hearing the click of the lock. He slowly and carefully got back up on his sore legs and walked into the bathroom, still smiling darkly, he dropped the keys into the toilet with a clunk and a splash before walking out and facing his tormentor one last time. His face darker then before as he glared at the unconscious man on the floor.

"Thanks for the 'vacation'... See you in HELL- You sick fuck."

Natsu turned on his heel and walked out the door, to his freedom. He walked down a darken hallway, up a flight of stairs before he found himself in a living room that looked like it belonged in the 70's. His face split into a wide smile upon sight of the front door. He quickly ran to the door and threw it open, not caring on how banged up he was or that he still wore a revealing dress- All that mattered to him was that he was free.

Free.

He was finally free.

Hurray!

Natsu Bae is free!

Happy belated Natsu Day! 7/2!