Cobra was desperate, he didn't want to leave her side at least until she had woken up. It had been a little more than twenty-four hours since she went to sleep and he was starving.

He made a reluctant phone call and two hours later Angel appeared at his doorstep with three large pizzas, fries, and beer.

"Thank fuckin' god!" Cobra exclaimed as he swung open the door, all but ignoring Angel in favor grabbing the boxes out of her hand and turning for the kitchenette table.

"You're welcome, asshole," sass palpable as she said them. She proceeded to grab a slice herself and sat at the table, she failed to see the sleeping blonde on the other side of the divider wall.

"So, you've finally come to your senses?" her sultry voice asked, watching the slayer take a sip of his beer. She watched as his lips gently cradled the edge of the bottle, reminiscing about his lips on her own.

"Get that shit out of your head right now Sorano, that was years ago." he rolled his eye at her pouting face, "I don't want to tap that washed up snatch of yours."

Angel scowled at the ornery man in front of her, "Then why the fuck did you call me?" she asked.

"Because I miss my little sister and wanted to spend some quality time with her." the sickly sweet tone in his voice told her he was being snide.

"Fuck off Erik, what is the real reason." she knew he would never ask her for help unless he was at his wit's end.

Cobra sighed at the woman, "I found Lucy. She's in bad shape so I knocked her out to heal and I can't leave her when she is unconscious. I was really fuckin' hungry so I called you. Plus I figured you could look her over."

Sorano gasped at the words she heard. "You found the pretty-pretty princess?" Angel made an exaggerated expression of looking around, "Where are her beloved Nakama?" the sarcasm evident.

Cobra just shook his head, "Haven't notified everyone yet."

Angel didn't need further explanation, she had been there when Erik declared he was going to search for her and even Angel was dismayed at the reactions he received.

"Why should I look her over?" she asked with a hint of aggravation, still feeling the sting of rejection.

Cobra didn't want to say it out loud because he didn't want it to be a possibility, taking a swig of his beer and let Sorano in on her status. "I found her strapped to a table face down and naked."
He eyed Sorano for a reaction but continued when he saw none, "As I said, she was in pretty bad shape and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything."

He gave Sorano a pointed look that implied what he didn't want to speak about it. She understood and responded with a scowl and a sigh, "fine".

Angel stood abruptly and looked down at the slayer still stuffing his face, "I'll go check on her." she then turned the corner into the bedroom area of the room.

She saw the blonde sleeping soundly and sat on the bed beside her. In a moment of tenderness that no one would ever see, Sorano tucked a strand of hair behind the blonde's ear. She pulled the covers down proceeded to inspect the blonde's body for any injuries that may have been missed.

The care and gentleness in her actions would have been moving had anyone witnessed it.

The former Oracion Seis teammates all held a special spot for Lucy in their hearts. She forgave them for their past transgressions. She had reached out to every one of them on an individual level and made it a point to get to know them, the only one who didn't oblige was Cobra.

He steered clear of her but he wasn't sure why, maybe he didn't want her forgiveness, or maybe he didn't want to reinforce the deeper feelings for the Celestial Maiden that he had been ignoring. When Sorano returned to the table, Cobra instantly read her soul to get any insight.

If it was one thing Angel hated, it was when Erik pried so she decided to hit him where it counted. "Awww they made her pretty just like you Erik." Angel cooed in the same sickly sweet voice Cobra used on her earlier. "She's perfect for you now!"

Cobra just glared at her and responded the only way he knew how to, "CUNT." He refrained from smacking her as his gut instinct told him to do.

Angel laughed the insult off, she expected nothing less from the man. After regaining her composure she grew serious, "Erik, anything could have happened to her. You didn't miss anything that needs immediate medical attention."

She sighed and stared at the remains of the pizza in her plate before she stood and went to leave, "It was good to see you," she said as she reached for the door handle, "She is gonna need support, so don't be a total asshole to her." was her final statement as she exited.

Cobra's exhaustion grew quickly now that Angel was gone. He forgot how taxing it was to be around her, despite being like a sister to him. He had to be on guard at all times for fear that she may misinterpret any of his given actions. He had to be "on" as they like to say, and he hated it with a passion.

That night he settled in and decided to start reading the novel that Lucy was writing before she disappeared. He had taken it out of the trash when her team cleaned out her belongings. He found himself angry at their actions, tossing out something she was pouring her soul into. It was like tossing her out.

He salvaged her novel along with her notes for it and a few other things he knew the blonde would be upset to have lost. Mostly they were mementos from her childhood and the sealed letters to her parents.

He also managed to salvage a few essential items like outfits of hers and a couple of personal care products before the team completely dismantled her apartment. Just a few things she would need for when he found her. Everything else could be replaced.

He was petty enough to allow the mementos of her team to stay in the trash. He did not give up on her the way her own team had.

The first thing Lucy heard were the birds, they sounded like they were chirping right in her ears. She groaned slightly as she turned toward their song, "Shut up" she grumbled in hopes that they would stop.

She snuggled her head down further into the soft pillow and pulled the blanket cuddling into herself further. She was surrounded by a fresh forest smell mixed with a hint of something almost like apricot, the scent was soothing to her senses.

Lucy had yet to regain full consciousness so she relaxed into the feeling of overwhelming comfort. Something was niggling at the back of her mind though, something she wanted to ignore.

The reality was about to come knocking.

Lucy went to turn over and that was when she realized she was sore everywhere, her brain quickly turning over why, and that was when it all came crashing back to her.

She jolted upright much to her body's dismay. She had no idea where she was or what was going to happen to her next. She took in her surroundings, only mildly relieved that she wasn't in a dark dungeon. She smelled coffee brewing and refused to believe her nightmare was over. This was just some small twist in the hell she had been living.

She heard movement nearby and she screeched and pulled the covers tighter to her as if they'd protect her, all while she scooted a little closer toward the window.

Cobra came around the corner with two cups of coffee in hand. Lucy 's eyes widened at his sudden appearance but he advanced slowly and cautiously toward his bed. He handed her a mug as he sat and she stared at him trying to determine if this was real or just a dream.

"You're not dreaming." He stated simply as she reached out tentatively to take the mug. Her fingers lightly gracing his and a small sweet hum sparked in her soul.

The sleeve of the black thermal she was wearing slid down her elevated arm to expose the scarring on her wrist. She automatically pulled the sleeve over the offending skin as she brought the mug to her lips. Inhaling deeply she felt an overwhelming joy as the first sip of real coffee washed away her fears that this wasn't real. "Mmmmmm" she hummed in appreciation and enjoyed the small moment.

Cobra sat silently drinking the black liquid and was gauging her reaction and mental state. It was not lost on him that she immediately covered her exposed wrist. He was also surprised at how easily she washed away some of her worries as she brought the mug to her lips.

They sat in silence for a small period of time, both enjoying their coffee before they had to face the truth to come.

She watched him and wondered what he was thinking. "That was you that killed all those dark guild members, I wasn't hallucinating?" She couldn't believe of all people in Earthland, Cobra was the one that rescued her from her nightmare.

He eyed her briefly monitoring her thoughts to see if she was afraid, she had indeed witnessed him happily killing all those assholes. That would be enough to send anyone running off to the Rune Knights.

"You bet your sweet ass it was," he responded. She should have feared him, of what he was capable of, but he sensed none of that from her. Instead, the only thing she focused on was the fact that he implied she had a sweet ass.

Lucy sipped her coffee contemplating his bombastic answer. "I do have a sweet ass don't I." she mentally replied to herself. Fear over the fact that he dispatched those unsavory men didn't even cross her mind.

She looked up at him, "You were singing Queen." He simply nodded his head in response.

She thought back to how he sounded in her poison addled state and felt liked his voice had helped to ground her as she was lost in the sea of insanity, "I like your singing" she smiled sheepishly as she said it. She was unsure of how he was going to react to her compliment. If it was even an appropriate thing to say at that moment, hell at this moment she wasn't even sure of her very existence let alone what was and was not proper.

Cobra gave the girl a sure as shit grin, "Thanks, your the only one still living that has ever heard me."

She laughed softly, knowing she should be having alarm bells going off in her brain. They just weren't chiming, "Maybe my alarms are broken. Maybe I am broken, that must be it, I've been gone for god knows how long. My mind has finally cracked."

Feeling a strong desire to ground herself, her instinct was to trail her hands over the keys that were not near her to check in with her spirits. That is when she panicked, realizing she didn't feel the connection to her keys.

Tears streamed down her face as she began to curl in on herself for comfort unaware of the concerned look on the Poison Slayer's face, or the fact that he went over to his pack and rifled around in it.

Moments later, Lucy heard the familiar jingle her keys made and she all but leaped out of the bed. She immediately lost footing and fell to the ground after realizing her legs just didn't want to work like she assumed they would.

Cobra rushed back over, kneeling in front of her in a manner of seconds, "Crazy woman." He guided her back up to the bed and handed her long-missing keys to her. "They were found and brought to Fairy Tail," he said curtly settling himself back on his bed.

Lucy felt like a hole in her heart had been filled simply by holding the keys close to her. The emotion of having them again overwhelmed her. The question begging to be asked though, "Why do you have them then?"

Again, she was left wondering why this man she hardly knew had been the one to rescue her. Never mind the fact that he had her keys. She wasn't even one hundred percent sure how long she had been gone either.

"Look, it's a long story that you aren't ready to hear. Just know that your keys were found and you probably shouldn't try and make your contracts until your magic is fully restored."

Lucy scowled at his less than pleasant bedside manner, "Aren't you a walk in the park." she stated.

"I've always been a ray of sunshine, sweetheart." the tone in his voice was playful. He watched as she grasped her keys close to her chest and tears rolled down her cheeks silently. She had a contented smile so he opted not to ruin her moment with shitty comments about her tears.

Her happy reunion turned sour though as she remembered more vividly the day they were lost to her.

She had been captured by members of Black Sun after they ambushed her team. Why they took her and left her team for dead she will never know since she was already passed out from the beating she received at the hands of her friends.

The bastards had been using her keys as leverage to keep her compliant with their requests. As they took their new pet back to their guild. Her connection to the keys was severed since she was wearing anti-magic shackles. Lucy had been watching and waiting for the right moment to take action in their travels.

The man who had her keys along with the keys to her magic canceling cuffs was a slimy buffoon. He always fell asleep when he was on duty watching the perimeter of their nightly camp set up.

One night she seized her opportunity but her attempt failed when she tripped on a tree root and fell, waking the man. Quickly realizing what she was going to do, he kicked her so hard the wind was knocked out of her.

The slimy man spent the rest of the night beating her to the point where she did technically die. There was a healer present that revived her but the damage was done.

Her contracts were severed, she felt them snap and it broke her heart instantly. That night she watched as they tossed her keys into the woods like garbage. Lucy took a huge blow to her optimism and hope that there was a way out of this hell she was living.

Cobra sat and watched as the blonde stared at her keys remembering the events of her losing them. He found himself irrationally upset over witnessing the events through her soul. He didn't recall killing the healer that revived her, but he was even more satisfied remembering how he dispatched the particular individual she had been thinking about.

He had cut the hands off the scumbag that had beaten her senseless, choked her to the point of death, and carelessly tossed her keys. He chuckled aloud as he remembered how the man cried like a little bitch on his knees in front of him before he kicked that asshole in the face, sending him into the pile of injured that were about to be poisoned.

"What's so funny?" Lucy asked, her voice laced with irritation at the idea of him mocking her.

"He cried like a squealing piggy when I severed the hands he used to beat and kill you with."
Cobra watched Lucy's face as it scrunched up in disgust but her soul delighted in the knowledge that karma is a bitch and he deserved what he got. It was a direct contradiction but he found himself relieved that her soul did not reflect her face.

Lucy wasn't sure what to make of her situation. Here she was finding herself more than relieved that those assholes were never going to come for her or anyone else again. She wasn't surprised or horrified by Cobra's actions and the worst part of it, she didn't feel bad. She knew she should have felt that way, but she just didn't. What made her feel worse was the fact that she didn't feel anything about their deaths.

Cobra tried to alleviate her inner turmoil, "Accept it for what it is. You're not wrong and you're not right, you just are." He sighed and stood up, collecting her coffee cup from her, "Look, why don't you go soak in the tub and I will get us something to eat."

Lucy simply nodded her head, numbingly accepting his words and suggestion. She hadn't had a bath in god knows how long. She felt dirty and a nice hot soak would help her clear her mind.

Cobra watched as she slowly got to her feet and wobbled severely. "Sit your ass down and wait a minute." he bit out gruffly.

Lucy sat back down realizing she was not steady enough on her feet to get to the bathroom herself. She huffed at her inability to do this seemingly simple task for herself. She watched as Cobra went to his pack and pulled out a few bottles of what she recognized as her usual bathing products accompanied by her favorite yoga pants and t-shirt.

She was even more confused as to why this man had her clothes and bathing products.

He turned his attention to her, "I'll explain it all while we eat. Right now focus on getting cleaned up."

Cobra walked into the bathroom and set her bathing products by the tub as he started running the water. He looked at the bottles he had and grabbed the one that was some kind of bath oil. It smelled of citrus and floral which was pleasant to his nose so he poured a bit of it in for her.

He set up her products by the tub and laid her clothes on the counter. He made sure she had everything she would need within reach, including towels.

He walked back out, "Alright Weeble, you should be all set in there. I'll run out and grab something to eat."

Lucy simply nodded her head in understanding, she went to get back up but fell back right away from the unsteadiness. Cobra held his hand out to her so she could steady herself as she stood. She took his extended hand and he guided her slowly toward the bathroom.

She uttered a sheepish thank you and quickly closed the door. She was thankful for the patience he was showing her. She wasn't going to admit it ever, but she enjoyed the feeling of her hand in his. It was warm and gentle, it was safe.

Cobra noticed the hint of pink that graced her cheeks and he cracked a smile to himself. Then his demeanor abruptly changed as he wondered if it was a good idea to send her in without warning her about what her body had been through.

He aired on the side that she was a big girl, she lived the horror and so far her soul doesn't sound completely destroyed. Much to his surprise. He shook off his concern as he walked out the door to get them some food from the local market.