Natsu walk through the hallway that led into the R&D department, passing through the biometric scanners without a hassle. He gave a nod to the two guards stationed by the entrance, noting that for once they weren't arguing over something menial.

The Agent didn't even make it halfway through the busy research lab before he had a technician hurry over to him excitedly. Natsu sighed quietly to himself as he came to a stop and allowed the red-haired woman to approach him. "Please make it quick, Eliza, I'm on my way to check up on Lucy."

The excitable scientist came to a lurching stop in front of the man and reached into her coat. "So, Mr Dragneel, I was going over the standard kits that each of the agents use and I couldn't help but thinking about a possible upgrade for your standard weapons, your twin 10mm Glock pistols." The woman rattled the words off quickly as she produced a sci-fi looking pistol from inside her coat. "I know it probably won't do well as your offensive loadout but this is a Maxim 9, an integrally suppressed pistol that seems to be based upon the Glock design, and as such it takes Glock's 9mm magazines."

Natsu plucked the unusual pistol from the woman's small hands and held it firm within his right hand, he dropped the mag out into his left then slid it back in and actioned the slide a few times to see how natural it felt to him. "Not bad, does it come in 10mm?"

"Not yet." Eliza lip twitched up into a smirk. "Any modifications you'd like to have?"

"Make me one in 10mm for trials, talk to Levy about the enchantment she stuck on her railgun that prevented the projectile from creating a snap as it broke the sound barrier. I'd rather use full powered rounds in this so I don't have to have two different sets of mags, one for sub-sonic and one for full power."

"Hmm, the only place an enchantment like that would work is if it was placed onto the barrel itself. The only issue is that it may have to be serviced every so often."

"Make it happen. Actually, get me two, so I can properly test them as if they were standard kit. I like the smaller form factor when compared to my suppressed Glock 29s. The only issue is that I'd need new holsters for them." Natsu handed the Maxim 9 back to the short woman and crossed his arms idly as he examined the gun. "It won't need those segments, just make it full sized. I'm guessing it will provide the best performance that way. And please make sure it's engineered for the hotter load of 10mm that I use. I wouldn't want it to blow apart in my hands."

"I've seen some reviews on this gun saying it has a bad trigger feel, so I'll replicate the style of your Glock 29." The redhead looked down at the gun in her hands then back up at the agent, she shifted nervously from side to side as she hesitated on a question. "Could I borrow one of your pistols, I just need it to copy the modifications you have made so I can make it feel as similar as I can."

"Yeah, sure. I can live with just using one of my customised 29s for now so you can hold onto the second one for now." The agent replied kindly as he held out a glowing hand and handed over one of his suppressed Glock 29. "But I really need to check in with Lucy."

The technician juggled both pistols and a clipboard in her arms as she hurried back to her desk, leaving the salmon-haired man where he stood. Natsu sighed softly and took off at a jog towards the room that his protégé was staying in. He pushed open the door and found the blonde woman sat up in the bed in a medical gown with a thin skullcap-like brain scanner that was wirelessly linked to a nearby computer.

"How're you feeling, Luce…?" Natsu softly spoke as he approached the bed, prompting the female agent to lower her book and gaze up at the man with a glowing smile.

"I feel kinda weird. I can feel things around me, even outside this room." Lucy placed a bookmark in her book and placed it beside the pillow as she scooted out of the bed and rose to her feet without a hassle. "They gave me this book, the scientists who are looking after me. It's about theoretical dimensional planes above our third dimension… it's not what I fancy all that much in a novel but it's really interesting. They thought it may help with understanding my new perception."

"I haven't really been told much, beside the different neuron patterns that resemble teleporters. What's going on?" Natsu tilted his head as his ran his eyes across her face and arms, not finding any signs of lingering damage. "I was worried because things like this don't normally happen, since we test the serum rigorously…"

"I'm okay, Natsu." She smiled as she placed a soothing hand on the man's shoulder. "This will take a bit to get used to, but I've been figuring it out. Here, let me show you." Lucy took a step back and reached out for the book once more, as she placed her hand down upon it the book instantly moved to the foot of the bed. "So far I have to be in contact with it to teleport it, but we believe I'm moving it up to a higher dimensional plane then back down to ours, instantaneously teleporting it within sensory range. Which is why they are having me read that book."

The salmon-haired agent glanced down at the book next to him and picked it up as an eyebrow rose in curiosity, he turned back to his partner and held the book out for her. "Is there… anything else you can do?"

"I've been working in teleporting myself. Basically I can envision myself in a certain spot and I guess… move, yeah, I just move there and I end up where I want to be. It's odd because I could go from looking at you…" Lucy vanished from the spot she stood at. The readings on the computer spiking with the activation of the new neuron cluster. "…to being behind you in an instant."

Natsu whipped around in shock, he had sensed no spike in magic or electromagnetic fields, nothing… Yet here stood an anxiously smiling blonde who slowly bounced on her feet. "Fuck me… Lucy that is one dangerous ability you have, I couldn't even sense you…" He whistled long and low as he gave her an appraising glance up and down. "Practice that, and do it until it is as natural as breathing. Your mutation is fantastic, the best I've ever encounted… You could flank an enemy before they even knew you were gone. Do you know how far you can go?"

Lucy brightened up at his praise, her smile brightening up the room. "Theoretically, as far as I can sense. It's kind of fuzzy right now but I think as I get used to it, I'd be able to cover a fair distance. Not like across the city in an instant, but maybe a few city blocks at a time, maybe more?"

A chuckle escaped Natsu's lips as he covered his face with a hand. "You're going to give security nightmares when you jump about Headquarters. Do you think they'll let you leave soon, or do they need to do more tests?"

"I mean… they can't exactly stop me…" The woman giggled softly as she walked to the other side of the bed and pulled open the draw of the bedside table. She took out her clothes, pink lace underwear, a miniskirt and a pink singlet, and placed them upon the bed, then pulled out some knee-high boots and started to undo the medical gown. "Plus, I'm dying for a burger right about now. And some chips too, freshly cooked."

The gown slid down her body like running water and revealed her toned hourglass figure, her training had sculpted her body into that of a busty goddess. "What about you, have you had any food?"

"Yeah, Mira got me some before I came here." Natsu replied as he reached across the bed and plucked the sensor cap off of her head and threw it onto the pillow. He turned the computer off quickly before it started to whinge about loss of signal. "I'm sure if we head up to the Café in the offices that they'd be happy to give you the burger."

Lucy stood before the man in her panties, a glow in her hand forming a hairbrush that she ran through her golden locks, humming a quiet tune as she removed the knots from her hair. She looked down at her figure then turned her hips to look at her behind, smiling in content with herself. "I heard that you caused quite the disturbance recently."

"Ah, yeah." Natsu scratched the back of his head as he grinned slightly. "I was dealing with the organised crime groups, so I had my orders. I had to prevent civilian casualties, which meant going harder than I'd normally would in that situation."

The blonde agent slid her skirt up her legs and fastened it at her hips then threw her singlet on and patted herself down. "I don't think I've ever seen you use all that much of your magic? What was it like?" Lucy asked as she picked the book up and pulled the door open. She giggled as she smiled back at the man. "We better hurry before they try and stop us."

Lucy took off at a run, her hair flowing behind her as she made a break for the exit. Natsu chuckled softly and shook his head at his friend's antics before taking off after. He caught up to her fairly quickly and laughed along with her as she started to get berated by some of the scientists for running in the labs and leaving early.

Instead of slowing down for the elevator, Lucy reached back and grabbed a hold of Natsu's hand, then focused on her new sense. She exerted her new ability and teleported them up, floor by floor, until they reached their office. The blonde gasped as her head thumped, she doubled over and held her forehead in a hand while keeping her hand in Natsu's.

"Easy now… you still need to get used to it and build up your stamina and resilience to using the ability."

"Just give me a sec, please." Lucy mumbled as she took deep breaths.

Natsu gave her a minute to recover as he rubbed her back softly. Once she regained her breath, he led her into the office and sat her on the couch. "Sit down for a bit, these abilities take a toll on you. But you just get used to it."

"Probably didn't help that I was teleporting both of us, I had to focus on both our bodies instead of the natural feel of my own."

"Are you alright, Lucy?" Mira asked as she sat on the edge of Natsu's desk, watching their interaction with clear-cut curiosity. "I didn't think you'd be out this quickly."

"I kinda jumped ship." Lucy smiled meekly at the older woman as she sat back on the couch and glanced around for a magazine.

"You had us worried sick." The white-haired woman spoke softly, she sat down next to Lucy and wrapped her arms around her friend. "I'm glad you are doing better."

"Thanks Mira, all I need now is something to eat."

"I'll grab some and bring it here." Natsu said from the doorway, he pointed to Mira. "Luce wants a burger and chips. Do you want anything?"

"Get me the same too."

"Alright." The man ducked out of the room and headed up the hall, humming softly as he made his way over to the café.

"Hey Nat~."

Natsu spun around as Mira's younger sister filled his vision, she had leapt at him and wrapped her arms around his head. All the man could see was a sea of white wool from Lisanna's knitted turtleneck jumper. "Hey there, Lis."

The woman wrapped her legs around his hips and leant back, moving her chest away from Natsu's face so she could see him. "How's Lucy?"

"She's doing better, I visited her just before and she decided she had enough of being stuck in the medical lab. We made a break for it, and she used her mutation to teleport us up to the office, but it wore her out since."

"She'll get used to it." Lisanna replied offhandedly as she looked around the mostly empty café. "So, what can I get for you?"

"Two lots of burgers and chips, and I'll just have a caramel milkshake."

"Alright!" The bubbly agent cheered as she hopped down from her best friend and skipped over to the counter. She pushed the window open and called out the order through to the kitchen. "It'll be just a moment, Nat." Lisanna smiled brightly and leaned down on the bench, resting her head on her hands with her arms propped up on her elbows. "Genevieve seemed to have a good time with you, all she has been talking about recently has been your little trip."

"It was fun, I had hoped the firefight didn't put her off too much." Natsu chuckled softly as he scratched the back of his head with small grin. "I tried not to make things too dangerous for her but still enough to keep things interesting."

"No, she enjoyed the lot of it. Apparently, she had front row seats of the action from window of the room you two were staying in."

Natsu looked around curiously, looking for the eccentric Midian woman but not spotting the maid's costume that she always wore. "Speaking of Genevieve, where abouts is she?"

"Doing a quick delivery down to the Sim Rooms, Laxus and his team are running through a Kill House and called us just a few moments ago to put an order in." Lisanna popped up and stretched her body out lithely, causing her small, pale yellow shirt to ride up and reveal her silky midriff. She reached into the back pocket of her short shorts and pulled her phone free as she reached out for the man and pulled him close. "Smile~!"

Natsu chuckled at his friend's antics and waved to the camera with a smile. Lisanna giggled and tapped at her phone then showed the man her new lock screen. "Thanks Nat!"

"Anytime, Lis." The man replied as the Milkshake was placed on the transfer window and one of the cooks informed the two agents that the rest will be done soon. "Do you have time to drop by the office? I think Luce wouldn't mind someone to look at fashion magazines with, but since Mira and I will be busy…"

"Yeah, I'll swing by." Lisanna said with a cheerful smile as she placed the drink in front of the man. "Let me just get some food for myself and I'll be hot on your heels."

"I should see if Erza and Frosty the Snowman are up to anything, maybe we can all hang out." Natsu murmured to himself as he pulled out his phone and sent a quick message of to both of them. By the time he was done, Lis had placed a bag of food on the counter. "Thanks Lis, I'll see you soon."

"I won't be long~." Lis cheered as she leant forward and kissed Natsu on the cheek. "Say hi to my sister."

Natsu waved with the bag in his hand as he left the café and headed back towards the office, pushing it open and entering it. "Food is here, you two. They are the same so pick one." The man placed the bag down onto the coffee table and walked around to his chair, milkshake in hand, as Lucy launched for the food and tore the bag open, the scent of delicious food exploding from the flimsy container and filling the room, leaving no dry mouths to be seen.

"Oh yeah, that's the stuff…" The blonde purred as she grabbed and burger and dug into it ravenously. "Come get yours, Mira, before it gets cold."

The white-haired woman made a small amused noise as she moved out from behind her desk and collected up her food. Natsu looked up from his computer as the white of Mira's hair quickly reminded him. "Oh, Lis says Hi, also she'll be joining us soon."

FTA HQ, 5:26 PM

Natsu yawned softly as he approached his car in the underground carpark of the Headquarters. The keys to the Black Mamba appeared into his waiting hand with a faint glow, and with a click of a button, the car beeped and unlocked.

"Hey Natsu…" Came a sudden voice from right next to him, causing the man to turn in surprise and see Lucy. "Do you mind if I stay over for the night? I just want someone to keep an eye on me while I am still recovering."

"Sure, Happy is at a sleepover with some school friends so we'll just be the only ones home." Natsu smiled at his friend and slid into the driver's seat, he reached across and pushed open the door for her. "You look tired, Lucy."

"I'm still not used to the toll that this new sense has on me, I feel overloaded. It's kind of the other reason I don't think it's a good idea to drive home." Lucy replied as she lowered herself into the passenger side and rubbed her tired eyes. "Is Happy doing alright?"

"Yeah, he just had a test and got some pretty good grades, so I said he could have that sleepover with his friends." The car rumbled to life and Natsu guided it out onto the city streets as snow started to drift gracefully to the ground. The roads were mostly quiet save for the quiet drone of his exhaust and the occasional cluster of cars. "What about that book you've been working on?"

"It's coming along pretty nicely, I've planned out a series of novels and have been working out the plot lines for each one." Lucy explained, sounding happy as writing meant a lot to her. She started to focus on tuning out the new sense to see if she could minimise the impact it has on her. "Hey, Natsu. How do you not get overwhelmed by your enhanced senses?"

"I've had them since I was a little kid, the dragon magic modified my body, and the demon side of me can sense emotions and is fuelled by ambient negative energy. So, I guess I just got used to it all, you learn to tune them out naturally until you need it, then it's just a matter of paying attention."

"How modified are we talking? Your file said that you're immune to all sources of fire, and can produce fire from your body, like a dragon, hence Salamander." Lucy turned in the seat and focused on the man, using him to tune her senses and filter out the noise.

"All my abilities are on that file, be it dragon or demon, granted I prefer only using a few of them, and can only use them in their full capacity in dire situations or have been given authorisation for them due to their extremely destructive nature." Natsu slowed to a stop at a set of red lights and looked over at the woman, he noticed that she had goosebumps and a slight shiver, so he raised his body temperature and heated up the ambient air. "But in terms of physical abilities, even before I was given my first dose of The Serum I was unparalleled in terms of non-magical speed, strength, stamina, and durability. After being Enhanced, well… you've seen me in action. My Reflex mutation may not sound like much on paper but paired with my inhuman abilities, let's just say I'm not rated as Hyper Lethal because it sounds cool."

Lucy reached over and turned up the car's heater, grateful for the temporary warmth that Natsu had provided. She mulled over his words as they rolled away from the traffic lights, wondering if her mutation would give her the same classification as him, though in terms of raw power she had nothing on Natsu, but her new teleportation ability would allow her to teleport about a Magic Suppression Field like it never existed, something that no other person was able to do, not mage nor Agent. She knew she needed to train more to make effortless use of her new ability.

"You alright there? You've been silent for almost fifteen minutes now."

Lucy jumped as she was ripped from her internal thoughts. She waved her hands frantically at the man as a timid smile flashed onto her face. "Oh! Ah, I'm alright, just lost in thought. Did I miss anything?"

"Not really, I was leaving you to your thoughts for the most part. But I did just ask what you wanted for dinner?"

"Oh, how about some pizza?"

"Sure, it's a bit late to make some from scratch, and I don't think I have everything I need to do that at home anyway. We'll just have to order some in."

"I don't mind, would you like me to do that now?" The blonde asked as she fished her phone out of her handbag.

"Yeah, thank you. There is a place near my house that has really high-quality pizzas, it's called Mugenaro's Pizza. Order a meat-lovers for me." Natsu told her as he dropped down a gear in the car and shot up the ramp onto the highway. It would only be a short sprint up to the Ebony Hills, he'd probably beat the pizzas home.

Lucy kept the call short and sweet, ordering two of the same pizzas for delivery to Natsu's home. Once she was done, she dropped the phone back into her bag and leant back in the car seat. "I think I'm getting used to all the noise."

"That's good, once you get it to a point where you'd unconsciously track it then you'll be golden."

The snow started to fall heavier as they neared the turnoff to Ebony Hills, Natsu kept the power low while heading down the ramp. Cars flittered about the roads as the commuters hurried safely home before it became too dangerous to drive. He hit the button attached to the mirror and opened the garage so he could roll inside and park. "Alright, let's get into the warmth quickly before you catch a cold."

Lucy yawned and stretched out in the car, she let her senses expand and take in her surroundings before completely vanishing from the passenger seat. Natsu blinked at where she was just sitting and shook his head with an amused smirk. "She better not rely on that too much." The man turned off the car and pushed open the car door, rising out of it with one last look out at the snowy street before swinging the door shut and walking through the door that led inside while reaching out for the garage trigger on the wall.

He found Lucy knelt beside his fireplace in the lounge room, lighting the fire so she could warm up the house and get it nice and cosy. Sensing his presence she called out over her shoulder. "Natsu! I think your lighter is out!" The blonde turned to look at the man just as a ball of fire sailed past her and landed among the kindling, starting a blaze quickly. "Thanks!"

"Should be just a few minutes until the pizzas arrive, there are drinks in the fridge and a new box of tea on the bench, next to the kettle." Natsu informed her as he turned the thermostat up to a comfortable temperature on his way to the bathroom.

Lucy patted herself off and rose to her feet, she stood by the fire for a few more moments to allow the warmth to soak to her bones before she turned around and walked into the kitchen to turn the kettle on. As she went about brewing a cup of tea, the doorbell dinged. "One Moment~!" She called out as she bustled over to her bag and took out some money. Lucy opened the door with a smile, finding a young girl stood before her, looking like she was either just about to finish high school or had finished and has just started college.

"Oh my, did Natsu go and find himself a girlfriend?" The playful brunette asked with a curious smile. She gave the blonde a look up and down and couldn't stop the look of envy that flittered across her face. "You're really beautiful, he should consider himself lucky."

Lucy giggled behind her hand before smiling at the young delivery woman. "Not quite girlfriend, we work together. He's sort of like my mentor, I'm just here as I'm recovering from a medical procedure and I wanted someone I trusted to look after me." The older woman leaned in and whispered into the girl's ear. "Though, he is very hot, isn't he? Especially when he is training or working out~."

"Oh, I bet." The brunette giggled as she checked behind Lucy, to see if Natsu was listening in. "All that hard muscle, sweat glistening on his bronzed skin. Ooh~ the thought sends shivers down my spine~. I'm Bernadette by the way."

"Lucy, it's nice to meet you." She took some money out of her purse to cover the cost of the food, as well as an extra $50 as a tip. Lucy received a stunned look from Bernadette and just smiled kindly at the young woman. "You seem like a nice woman, sorry for dragging you out here in this weather."

"N-no, it's fine. Just part of the job." The flustered delivery girl stuttered with her eyes wide as she handed the boxes over and took the payment and tip. "Thank you. Say hi to Natsu for me."

Lucy watched the girl return to her car and gave her a wave as she left. She swiftly closed the door and hurried to the fireside to warm back up. "Hey Natsu~! That delivery girl has the hots for you!"

"I know!" He called back as he came back down the stairs, he smelt tea brewing in the kitchen and stuck his head in. "Hey, don't forget your tea."

"Oh shit, thanks." The blonde hurried back to the kitchen and finished up making her hot drink while Natsu sat down on a couch and flicked the Television over onto the News for some background noise.

"But yeah, I know she's attracted to me. Her boss knows it too which is why she always gets sent here when she is rostered on." The salmon-haired man flicked the lid open on the nearest box and fished out a slice of pizza. "Her boss is quite the character too, she's always cracking jokes and does what she can to make her employees happy. It seems like a good workplace."

"How well do you know her?"

"Nowadays it's just when ordering pizza or if I bump into her down the street, she went to the same school that Happy goes to so whenever I picked him up I'd get bombarded by students."

"Oh, I see~." Lucy giggled playfully as she brought her cup of tea back into the lounge room and took a seat next to her mentor. "You were the cool dad, bet you made all the other dads envious and the mothers swoon~."

"Maybe." Natsu chuckled as he grabbed another slice out of his box. He turned on the couch so he sat facing more towards the woman as he smiled light-heartedly. "Young, handsome, souped-up muscle car and track bike that I converted to a barely legal street bike. Plus I have manners and am nice to regular civilians."

"Yet you have fangs, literally and metaphorically, and will use them in a heartbeat."

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if my actual fangs made me more desirable in certain circles." The pinkette burst out laughing as he grinned from ear to ear, bearing his fangs which glinted in the light.

"I bet Mira falls into that group of people." Lucy hid her giggles behind her hand and placed her mug down onto the coffee table.

"I mean, one time when we were sparing and she had wrapped herself around me and had my arms pinned, she decided to bite my bicep lightly because you know how much she loves teasing me." Natsu glanced at the TV as the weather report came up, tuning in momentarily to catch the forecast. "So when I reversed the grapple and had her pinned face down on the mat with her arms held firmly behind her back, I leant down and sank my fangs into the crook of her neck and she arched up and let out a tiny moan. She became so flustered after that so I'm guessing it was involuntary."

Lucy's giggles exploded into laughter as she held her sides to keep herself from falling apart at the seams. "I think the bite wasn't the only thing that was getting to her, I think pinning her facedown did too."

"That wouldn't surprise me in the slightest." Natsu shook his head with an amused smile as Lucy shuffled on the spot and leaned against her friend, soaking in the warmth from his body. "Are you feeling cold?"

"Somewhat, that and you're very comfortable." The busty blonde grabbed the remote and started to flick through movies on the TV's streaming service. "Do you have a blanket anywhere that I can put around my legs? They are getting a little cold."

"There is one down under the coffee table, in one of the draws."

"Alright." Lucy leaned down and pulled out a flannelette blanket and draped it over herself and put on a comedy. "Much better. I'm feeling better too, I don't have a splitting headache like I did at the office most of the day and on the way here."

"Good, once you start getting used to this kind of mutation, you'll start functioning like you used to. I was the same with my Reflex."

"How would you use my ability?" Lucy murmured as she glanced up at the man curiously.

"I wouldn't use it all the time, or at the very least, I wouldn't rely on it in a fight. You may develop a pattern that could be exploited if you try and use it to out manoeuvre your enemies in close combat." Natsu glanced at the pizza boxes and noticed that they were empty, so he threw them into the fire and laid down on the couch with his head on the armrest. Lucy shifted on top of him and rolled onto her stomach as her knees dropped to either side of his body. "I'd use it to distance myself and pick of targets one by one in a fight. Or, I'd use it to avoid the fight and move past the encounter."

"So in the case of the firefights on that cruise ship where we first met, you would have just bypassed them all?"

"Yeah, and if the range allowed for it, then I'd have teleported right out of the ship and onto the dock."

"Hmm, I'll have to keep that in mind. Maybe we can run some Kill Houses once I have a handle on this ability." The busty blonde laid down upon her friend, causing her endowments to spread out between them. The longer she laid on top of the man, the longer his warmth soaked into her body and made her drowsy. After a short while she let out a long yawn and rubbed her eyes. "I think I ought to have a quick shower and go to sleep, do you mind if I jump into your bed? I'd prefer having you next to me in case things go bad during the night."

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll probably be right after you."

Lucy groaned softly as she pushed herself upright on Natsu's lap, yawning as she stretched her arms above her head. The blonde woman rose to her feet and reached for the zipper on her skirt as she started making her way up the stairs, removing her clothes as she went.

Natsu was kinda glad that Happy was over at a friend's house as the Exceed enjoyed teasing him in these situations, something Natsu was certain that Mira had encouraged while he was still young and impressionable. Once he heard the shower shut off, Natsu made his way up to his bedroom. He found the blonde rugged up under his sheets, looking warm and content. "You look comfortable."

"Mmm." Lucy opened her eyes and smiled blissfully at the pinkette as she snuggled deeper into the bed. "Feels like heaven."

Natsu chuckled and went for a quick shower before slipping into the bed with Lucy, prompting the busty blonde to move closer and snuggle up to his side, she placed her ear over the man's heart and focused on his steady heartbeat, using it to tune out the noise of her surroundings.

"If you feel me start acting up, help me." Lucy murmured softly against the tanned skin, her hand slid across his broad chest and to his side as she wrapped her body around Natsu's alluring warm body, her soft flesh and smooth skin melting against him. "I could get used to this."

"You're always welcome to come and cuddle if that is what you want to do. I really don't mind." Natsu smiled softly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and placed his other hand on her hip. "And no, I'm not just saying that because you are naked and have a killer body."

"But that's the icing on the cake I bet." The blonde giggled quietly to herself, her voice dropping off as she started to drift off. "Maybe I'll come around more often…" Soft snores escaped the woman's lips as her breath washed across Natsu's chest, the man closed his eyes and listened to the gentle rhythm as he was whisked away to dreamland.

Natsu awoke the next morning with the still present familiar weight on him, but it had moved from his side. Lucy had shifted in her sleep during the night and ended up on top of the pinkette with her limbs wrapped snuggly around his neck and legs.

He reached out and fished around the head of his bed with a hand, searching for his phone as he rubbed his face with his other hand. He had to admit, it was the best night's sleep he has had in a while. Lucy was strangely comfortable but Natsu chalked it up to her soft and supple body.

'Kami… What's the time…?' Natsu groaned internally as his fingers found the charging cable for his phone, shortly followed by the device itself. The screen lit up as he tilted it towards his face, informing the groggy salmon-haired man that it was almost ten in the morning. 'Fuck. I must have forgotten to set the alarm last night.' He sighed and dropped the phone back to the bed, sliding his arms back under the sheets and resting them around the curvy blonde's hips.

Lucy fidgeted slightly and stretched out slowly as she gradually woke up, her head rising from the tanned chest and sleepily looking at Natsu with dull chocolate eyes. "Mmm… that was a good sleep, what time is it?" She murmured quietly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and eased up into a seated position on Natsu's lap.

"About ten-ish, maybe a little after. Sleep well?" The pinkette could tell that she had pleasant dreams as he couldn't stop his eyes drifting down to her spread lips that were wrapped around the back of his stiffening member, slowly leaking moisture from within the woman's body.

Lucy's chocolate eyes closed as she groaned lightly while stretching out and arching her back, a satisfying chain of cracks racing down her spine. "It was fantastic~. I feel much better than I did yesterday, no headache or anything."

"Good, seems like I'm more comfortable than those lab beds, huh?"

"Mhmm~." The woman's eyes fluttered as she laid back down on the man's chest and folded her hands under her chin as she lazily gazed into Natsu's dark green eyes. "Best sleep and dreams I've had in a long time, if I could then I'd definitely use you as a body pillow every night, your warmth practically soaked through me."

Their little moment together was cut short by rock music emanating from Natsu's phone, the man groaned in annoyance and grabbed the device, hitting the answer button as he brought it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, uh, Natsu… It's Officer Rose."

"Alexia?" Natsu glanced at the caller ID and shrugged as he ran a hand through Lucy's hair, earning a content smile from the woman. "Since you introduced yourself professionally I take it that this isn't going to be a casual chat?"

"Not this time, we need a hand down at the precinct. We have an issue with an interrogation, we aren't getting anywhere. They've been talking about bringing in a specialist and I thought about calling you about it."

"You could have had your boss call the Agency and request some help. We have interrogation specialists that would be better than me at civilian interrogations."

There was a short pause before Officer Rose's voice uncertain voice came through the device. "…What's the difference?"

"I'm trained to break people who are trained to resist interrogation. By all means necessary. Civilians need a gentler touch."

"I think with the two us, it would be fine." Lucy murmured quietly as she gave the man a small smile. She pushed herself back upright on his lap and started drawing patterns on his chest. "Maybe they'll be more at ease if they talk to me?"

"Is that Lucy?"

"Yes, Lucy was having a little bit of a health issue and was released last night, so I've just been keeping an eye on her." Natsu replied as he glanced over the busty woman's body before turning his attention back to the phone call. "If we go over there, it'd have to be in an official capacity. Meaning I won't be the normal easy-going Natsu, I'd be there as Agent Salamander."

"That's fine, I'll let my boss know that we'll be seeing you. That's if you'll be coming?"

"I suppose we will be, Lucy and I, but I expect to be given a briefing of the situation when I get there. I still reckon there are better suited people at the Agency who would do a better job than I will."

"That may be so, but I believe that working with a known quantity will go down better. There has been chatter around here about what happened back at that shopping centre, Allie and I have been tight-lipped about that night though, so don't worry about any other sensitive information being leaked."

"So there is no point in assuming a disguise." Natsu sighed and rubbed his face, he might have to request a memory adjustment on the officers, nothing drastic though, just enough to skew their recollections of his appearance. Maybe he could ask for authorisation to use Macro against them, placing an order than did the job and ensure that details of his appearance remained fuzzy in future. "Alright, I'll contact my boss and see what he thinks. Since it is short notice, I'll probably be sent anyway since I've already been brought in on the situation."

"Wonderful, I'll duck back into the precinct and let the boss know what's going on."

Natsu took the phone from his ear and hung up. He quickly scrolled through his contacts as he felt Lucy shift her weight about on his lap, earning a glance from him. "You ok?"

"You're body heat is giving me the tingles in all the best possible places…" Lucy blushed and brought her knees together on his stomach. "It's very distracting… and arousing." She bit her lip as she wiggled atop of his member as her voice dropped back down to a quiet murmur. "I want to do things with it…"

"Well, I'm not opposed to that idea, Lucy. You're one very attractive and alluring woman, and I'd be lying if I said that I've never thought about having sex with you." Natsu chuckled softly and gave her hip a gentle squeeze. "You have no idea how much I've been dying to slide my cock into you the entire time you've been either lying or sitting on top of me. Driving me nuts. But unfortunately, we have things to do… So maybe we can satisfy our urges sometime soon."

"I bet if you stuck it in me right now, it would just slide in without resistance. Oh kami I'm so soaked." Lucy giggled as she hid her blushing face behind her hands but peeked through her fingers at him coyly. "I definitely need to share a bed with you more often, and your demonic and draconic heritages have raised some questions within my mind about certain parts of you and how long it can be up for~."

"You'll just have find that out for yourself when we have the opportunity." Natsu smirked as he dialled up Makarov.

"Yes Sir~!" Lucy gave the man a mock salute, causing her breasts to bounce slightly due to the motion.

Natsu rolled his eyes but smiled at her antics. His phone came alive with the Directors voice. "Yes, Natsu, how can I help you?"

"It seems that there is an issue at the precinct that those cops I know belong to, they've asked for some help with an interrogation. I said it would be best if they contacted the Agency itself as we'd dispatch a specialist. But Officer Rose insisted on having a 'Known Quantity'."

"In other words, she would like your help?" Makarov paused for a moment while he contemplated the situation. "Alright, I'll leave it in your hands, I doubt it wouldn't be anything that you couldn't handle anyway."

"Probably not, Sir. It's just that I'm trained in dealing with tougher customers than a regular civilian."

"Just use your common sense and training, and adjust it to that of dealing with a civilian. No Enhanced Interrogation techniques, just a conversation."

"Alright, Sir. I'll see what I can do." Natsu nodded as Lucy opened herself up once again and requipped a hairbrush into a hand, she started to work the knots out of her hair. "One more thing, I want to use Macro on the precinct, it seems that they have been discussing my appearance. I want to implant doubt into them, make them unsure about how I actually look. So that they can no longer recognise me, even if they know my codename and see me when I'm just out and about."

"If you see it as a necessary measure, then I'll back your decision. However, I would prefer that you didn't take drastic measure, keep it subliminal if at all possible. I know from reports from Zeref that Macro can work that way, and even non-verbally?"

"I'll see that it is done. I'll keep it as subtle as I possible can."

"Before you go, Natsu. Your brother has been looking for you, apparently he has come across something disturbing pertaining to the Etherious."

"First I've heard of it, I'll check in with him once I reach Headquarters." After trading farewells with Makarov, Natsu ended the phone call and dropped his phone back onto the bed with a sigh. "I wonder which demon has been playing up this time…"

"Natsu?" Lucy looked at him questioningly as she tilted her head and ran the brush down her long hair.

"Apparently, there is an issue with the Etherious that Zeref wants to talk to me about. Considering my phone hasn't been going off its nut, I'm guessing that it isn't particularly that major of an issue just yet."

The curvaceous blonde crawled off of Natsu's lap and lowered herself down next to him, turning away and giving him her back as she rested her head on the pillow. She glanced back with a small smile and wiggled her hips as she curled her legs up in front of her. "Let's cuddle a little longer before we have to get out and get ready, I'm already missing that warmth."

Natsu slipped an arm under her head as he rolled onto his side and tucked himself up against her back. He drew the sheets up over them until they hit their shoulders and pressed them down snuggly around them before bringing his arm under and wrapping it around her waist. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Lucy mewled quietly at the pleasant warmth that enveloped her. She pushed herself firmly back against his hard body and relished the sense of safety that it gave her. "Yeah… definitely need to do this more often…"

Natsu slowly ran his hand over the woman's skin, feeling goosebumps rise under his fingertips. He shook his head in amusement and settled in, resting his forehead against the back of her head and breathing in her unique scent.

Magnolia Police Department, Rosemary Precinct, 11:40 AM

Officer Rose was pacing around the Police Station's reception, her patience starting to wear thin. The dark-blonde-haired woman glancing at the entrance every so often and checking her watch. "Where is he…?"

"Still hasn't arrived?" Asked the woman's friend and partner, Officer Jordan, as she entered the reception. "Maybe he has been caught up at their Headquarters?"

"He sounded kind of sleepy, so I think he just woke up or something."

"He might have just gotten back from a mission then, last time we saw him was at that party near Christmas, it's now close to the end of winter and it's not like we chat all that often with him." Officer Jordan reminded the blonde as she leant against the front desk. They were currently the onto two in the room so they were able to talk reasonably freely about the Agent. "Speaking of winter, I think the Weather Girl on the News said that there should be no more snow for the rest of the season."

"Oh good, I was getting sick of having to get that shit off my driveway."

"Yeah." The redhead nodded happily. "And it means that the streets will come to life again, can't wait to see all those cars tearing up the streets."

"Allie… you're a cop. You're meant to stop street racing, not spectate it."

"Alexia, I was into street racing before I became a cop, I'm not going to stop just because I became one. And to be fair, they all know I'm a cop but they still show me around their cars because I'm genuinely interested in them on a personal level."

"We're still meant to stop street racing."

"Weren't you the one who was just dying to get a ride on Natsu's 'street legal' H2R ever since you caught sight of it at that petrol station? And when you did, we ended up racing it all the way back to the precinct?"

"Shhshshsh~!" Officer Rose glanced around and covered her friend's mouth. "We don't talk about that here. But fine, point taken. I agree that it is fun."

Officer Jordan took her friend's hand away from her mouth as she spotted a pair of shadows approach the front entrance. "I think that's him? Is he coming with someone?"

"Lucy, that blonde who was drunk off her tits at the party, she was with him on the phone. Something about a medical issue and he was looking after her after she had been released… I think that's what it was."

The door was pushed open to reveal a salmon haired-man in black slim-fitting tactical clothes and black combat boots. His weapons were holstered behind the small of his back and were in full view due to the lack of a jacket. He was followed inside by blonde woman in a more casual outfit consisting of washed-out skinny jeans and a blue winter jacket. Strapped to her right thigh was her Ruger 57, and a Gerber Mark II combat knife strapped to her left.

"Sal, I still think it's a good idea to put word out about something like recreational dodgeball, it would help with increasing people's reflexes."

"I agree in that manner, but then you have people like me and you who would easily dominate in those matches due to our abilities, or like Knight and her psionics. We could use an honour rule system, but then how would you know if someone like me used their ability? It isn't very obvious since I already have fast reactions, but when I use Reflex only I can perceive the actual effects."

"Finally, we've been waiting on you!" Officer Rose complained as she stalked over to the pinkette.

"Sorry, we had some things to take care of quickly before coming here." Sal held up a hand as his face settled into a serious visage. "Allow us to introduce ourselves professionally, I'm Agent Salamander, also called Sal for short. And my partner is Agent Celeste."

"Please address us as such, Officers." Celeste smiled kindly as she slipped her hands behind her back. "It's good that you two were the first we saw, I had a feeling that we may have caused a scene when arriving armed."

"I think it's to be expected considering where you two are coming from. We have the suspect in a holding cell right now." Officer Jordan informed the two Agents as she started heading to the door leading deeper into the station. "She was picked up as part of a recent gang warfare investigation but so far we've gotten nothing from her."

"How soon are we talking about?" Celeste asked as she shot a subtle glance over at Sal, hearing that he had been in the field in Magnolia from Levy. "Because we might have info on it."

"It was up at Heliotrope." Officer Rose said with a glance over her shoulder.

"I was in the area, gathering some info on the meeting that the big gangs were having in the room there." Said Sal in a neutral tone, he gazed around the surrounds and narrowed his eyes at the Officers that were on the scene at the shopping centre, chasing the gunmen. He thought about forcing them to forget his appearance but he decided that it wasn't worth it, it was a pointless waste of energy.

"Why is he here?" One of the officers asked snidely. His face scrunching up in disgust at the sight of the pinkette. "In fact, why hasn't he been taken in for murder?"

"Because it was self-defence, among other reasons." The salmon-haired Agent replied, crossing his arms as he snarled at the man. "You know, I get asked why I don't like cops. You're the exact personification of the reason. Someone who just gets in the way when I'm trying to do my job."

The Police officer flushed with anger and drew his pistol, levelling it on the Agent and causing the other officers to try and defuse the situation. Celeste vanished from next to Sal and instantly appeared behind the furious officer with her combat knife pressed to their throat. She tapped the flat side of the blade against the man's neck lightly. "You should put that cute little thing away before you hurt yourself."

"How the fuck?!" The Officer spun around but the woman was gone again, this time back to the side of her fellow agent.

"Don't try and attack us, you might not live to regret the decision." Celeste warned the man as she slid the knife back into its spot on her left thigh. "We aren't like the normal people you find out on the streets."

The crowd of Police stood around with their eyes wide, like a deer caught in headlights. Agent Salamander glanced around with a satisfied smirk, maybe he just stumbled upon a way to dissuade them from talking about him. "None of you have really seen an Agent of the FTA in action, have you? Put it this way, there is a very good reason we are well respected in our field. Celeste here may be a fairly recent addition to our ranks, but what she can do allows her to turn any fight in her favour in the blink of an eye. And as for myself, I'm considered one of the most lethal Agents at the FTA, you do not want to be my mission target. I'll be honest, the only reason you are all seeing what I look like is that I don't even consider any of you to be even the slightest of threat to me. Had this dumb fucker over here actually pulled the trigger, even if his aim was perfect, he'd have missed and been at my mercy in an instant."

The Agent stared the Policeman dead in the eyes as his smirk fell to a hardened snarl. "Don't you ever try that shit again, the last thing you'd see would be your body falling to the floor as your head tumbles off from your shoulders. And then your poor comrades will have to tell your family about what happened, and trust me, having to tell a boy that his father died in the line of duty is a painful thing to do, part of me died that day."

"W-what happened?" Officer Jordan asked quietly as she stepped between the Agents and the aggressive cop.

"A good friend of mine was brutally tortured, a man I looked up to. I was part of the rescue team sent in to bring him home. He was alive up until when we were about to land when his heart finally gave out. I had to tell his son what had happened, and once I get my hands on the man responsible… He better start praying to whatever the fuck he believes in." Sal growled as his eyes shifted to a menacing demonic red and his whole disposition changed, shocking the cops with the amount of malicious intent that was flowing out of the Agent.

Celeste stepped in front of the pinkette and placed a small hand on the man's cheek, drawing his eyes down to her soft chocolate orbs. She whispered softly as she gave him a reassuring smile. "It's ok, Natsu. We'll find him, and we'll kill him. But we need to wait for Black Steel's coup so they'll be preoccupied fighting each other and allow us to slip through their ranks."

The Agent closed his eyes and took a deep breath, settling himself. When he looked back up at the gathered Police Officers, he gave them an apologetic smile as his eyes faded back to green. "I'm sorry, it's a touchy subject and it gets tough keeping my anger in check when I talk about it."

"I-it's fine…" Officer Rose stuttered in fear, after seeing a glimpse of the monster within the man she saw in front of her, she realised just how he got such a fearsome reputation that was alluded to when she and Officer Jordan did some digging on information on Agent Salamander. "Anyway… the suspect is this way."

"It's fine, I can sense where they are." Celeste informed them as she turned to face the Officers once more. She smiled brightly at them, a stark contrasted to the borderline demonic feeling that the other agent had just been giving off. The kind woman quickly vanished from their midst, leaving the Officers with Agent Salamander.

"I've told her that she shouldn't rely on that ability all that much…" Sal chuckled softly and shook his head. He started heading in the direction where he himself could sense his partner. "Oh well. I can find my own way, just set up a room for us to have a chat with them."

He found Celeste by the holding cells, small rooms with a reasonably comfy looking bed and a reinforced glass door. As he came to a stop beside the blonde and peered inside the cell, he recognised one of the staff from the restaurant, it was the woman from the reception desk. "You're joking… it's just the reception girl."

"What should we do with her?" The blonde asked quietly as the woman glanced up from the floor, staring at them through the door.

"Bring her to the interrogation room, place her near the door and just make casual conversation. I'll grab some coffees and some chocolate if I find some." Sal reached forward and opened the door slowly. "My friend here will be looking after her, please call her Lucy. Don't worry, we'll make this as easy as possible. This may be an odd question, but are you allergic to nuts or anything?"

"No… I don't have any food allergies." The woman mumbled, looking at the pinkette with a confused expression.

"Any preference with coffee?"

"Black, three sugars…" She became even more confused as she slowly exited the room, these weren't cops, they were something else. "Will I be here for much longer?"

"No." Celeste shook her head with a kind smile. "We'll just ask you some small questions, we are familiar with the case so this will be over with quickly and you'll be released without an issue."

"But what if the police don't allow it?" The woman asked slightly frantically as she looked between the two unusual people.

"Don't worry." Sal smiled as he turned and started heading towards the smell of ground coffee. "It's not like they could stop us or overrule our decision."

"What does he mean?" The receptionist asked as she followed Celeste to the interrogation room.

"We operate above the local and federal police. Our Agency reports directly to the Crown itself." Celeste scratched her head as she glanced back at the woman. "It kinda gets in the way too as much as it is useful. The various police jurisdictions don't really like us all that much. I don't know if you saw the welcoming that Natsu and I got…"

"I saw that some of the cops get riled up over something…"

"Natsu and I are… well, we are mages. We aren't discriminated against but due to our power, people tend to fear us, either out of envy, hatred, or something else. On top of that, he and I are something more than the standard mages." The blonde opened the door for the lime-green-haired woman and allowed her to go inside. She gestured to the chair on the door side of the table. "You can have this seat. Oh, I never asked your name."

"Belinda Miles." The woman replied as she slowly sat on the chair, watching as the busty blonde moved to the other side and sat down. "What kind of magic do you use?"

"I'm a Celestial Mage, I can summon Celestial Spirits by using their keys. I'm actually from a well-known line of them. It's not the only thing I can do, but it's what I'm known for." Lucy looked past Belinda and looked into the mirrored glass, using her new sense to see if there was anyone on the other side. "Is there a story behind your name?"

"I was named after my Grandmother, she died in childbirth while having my dad."

"Ah, I'm sorry for the loss. Would you excuse me for a moment." Celeste vanished from her seat then reappeared a few seconds later. "Sorry, I wanted to be sure that we weren't being recorded."

"How did you?" Belinda asked quickly, shock written all over her face. She wasn't in a panic but the suddenness of it threw the receptionist off.

"Consider it perks of being what I am, and I don't mean a mage."

"Coffee is here." Sal announced as he entered the room, he was carrying a cup of coffee in one hand and chocolates in the other with two more cups floating near his shoulders. He sent the coffee to their respective consumers as he placed the chocolate down on the table while the door closed on its own accord. "Black with three sugars for the lovely receptionist, and milk with two sugars for Lucy."

"Thank you." The greenette glanced over at the man then turned her focus back to the blonde, taking in her looks as recognition flashed to her mind. "Umm, you wouldn't happen to be related to Lady Layla Heartfilia, would you?"

Celeste glanced up at Sal with a questioning look, only to be waved on with a shrug of his shoulders. "I supposed it's to be expected due to Mother's fame… Yes, I'm her daughter. You know my Mother?"

"She happened to book a stay at the Heliotrope Estate for a couple of weeks from now. You are almost a splitting image of her."

"Huh, maybe we ought to invite her to the office and show her around." Sal suggested as he took a seat by Celeste and sipped his coffee. "Show her your friends."

"Well see about that later, we better get this over with soon, so they stop wasting Belinda's time." Celeste said as she held her cup between both hands to warm them. "We'll be honest, as we were monitoring the situation, there isn't much you can tell us that we don't already know."

"We'll give the cops any relevant information that may help the case, so don't worry." The pinkette said offhandedly as he tapped on the Tac-Com, sending a message to the Director and informing him of the situation. "This shouldn't take long, hopefully we can stop the cops from fucking you about."

"In the meantime just enjoy the coffee and chocolates, and try to relax. We can organise a lift if you need one." The blonde said as she vanished once more.

"Don't mind Lucy, ever since she gained the ability to teleport around like that, she has been doing it a lot. Mainly to make her body used to it." Sal said as he shook his head gently. "If you have any questions for us, feel free to ask them, I'll answer what I am allowed to."

"Just who and what are you two?"

"She is Lucy, also known as Agent Celeste, and I am Natsu, Agent Salamander. We work for a certain Agency in town that receives directives directly from the Crown. We work in the interest of safeguarding the nation of Fiore, somewhat like a hidden branch of the Armed Forces. A coalition of companies who provide services to the nation, such as information gathering, neutralising terrorists, maintaining the safety of the nation of Fiore." Sal waved his hand as he rattled off the classic exposition that was drilled into him. "Suffice to say, Lucy and I work for the Fairy Tail Agency. The founder had odd tastes in names but we don't blame her, it just makes people underestimate us."

The receptionist blinked. How could this carefree man be one of the famed Agents of the FTA that occasionally pop into the News from time to time? Her memory flashed into her vision, playing a scene where an Agent from the FTA was deployed to a hostage situation in the Capital near the start of the year. One single agent took down over two dozen terrorists in an embassy. They had played a clip caught on the building's CCTV system where the Agent moved through heavy gunfire in a narrow corridor as if there were no bullets racing through the air.

The door opened and Celeste stuck her head in, she had lost the kind look from before and had adopted a serious look. "Sal, they've got the transfer, she is free to go."

"Well, you heard the woman." Sal smiled at the civilian as he rose from the chair. "Do you need me to arrange a lift or are you happy finding your own?"

"No, I can have one here in a few minutes, I know someone nearby." Belinda replied as she scrambled to her feet, eager to get home and get all this off her mind.

"Well, speak with Officer Rose or Jordan, they'll get anything of yours that they may have." The pinkette left the room and waited for the receptionist to leave before he turned the lights off and closed the door. He shot a quick look over at Celeste, silently telling her to stick back for a little bit.

"Thank you for the help, I hope to see you soon at the Estate."

"It's the least we could do, you were caught up in something you had nothing to do with. I hope this hasn't affected you too badly." Celeste replied with a bright smile as she bowed her head politely. They watched the woman hurry over to the suggested officer before the blonde turned to her fellow Agent. "I can see why you hate most cops. The good ones are nice, but a lot seem to have a stick shoved so far up their arses that I bet if I had a Black Light, this place would look like an abstract painting."

"I swear, I'm going to need range time after putting up with this." Sal growled quietly as he cracked his neck. "They aren't aware that I can hear all their bullshit with perfect clarity. I was ignoring it because I had to keep face in front of the Civi' but it was fucking aggravating."

"I know, some of them were being pretty damn disgusting when I had popped over to your friends to tell them about the files. I wanted to put a bullet in them myself, but that'd be frowned upon."

"They make me sick." The corner of the man's mouth twitched up into a snarl as a glow appeared in his hand, it was a small box of cigarettes. "Don't tell Mira…" He mumbled as he slipped one of the cigarettes into his mouth and lit it. "I've been smoking more often as I've been spending time with Wakaba, having drinks and swapping stories."

"Aren't they supposed to be bad for you?" Celeste asked as she eyed the box, it was a custom-made case, made from gold and red lacquered wood, a dragon's head engraved in the faceplate.

"Store-bought are pretty bad for regular people, I get mine from Wakaba whose family owns a Tabaco plantation, he has a specific strain that I like. Plus, due to my draconic lungs, smoke doesn't affect me, and the demonic regeneration that was implanted into me by Zeref years go helps keep me in perfect health." Sal glanced down at his partner and flick her a smile. "You'd be fine too, one of the things that the enhancement does to you is boost your natural healing. It's just that mine was already unnatural to begin with."

"I'm pretty sure the only thing natural about you are your looks, you look human."

The man chuckled and ruffled her hair with a happy smile. "I'm the most human-looking Etherious, though if I remember right, Mard Geer could give me a run for my money in that department, at least before he uses his Etherious Form." He slipped the case into a pocket and stretched his arms above his head. "The woman is gone, I hear her talking on the phone to someone outside, sounds like her brother."

"Do you keep in contact with the other Etherious?" Celeste pried, her curiosity getting the better of her since the man doesn't talk about his heritage or family all that much… neither did Zeref come to think of it.

"From time to time, I don't get along with many of them. Though I know one of them is very fond of me, in fact I think she is about due to pay a visit."

"And about that case you just had?"

"My dad gave that to me. Well, my adoptive dad, I should say, but he is still my dad." Sal looked up as his eyes became a little glassy at the fond memories flowing through his mind. "He's the one who gave me my dragon side."

"Wouldn't that make him a dragon?"

"Yes, and no. He is a dragon, masquerading as a human, a bit like Happy is. But no to the fact that Dragon Slaying powers don't have to come from a dragon, you can get them from very rare Lacrimas. Agent Spark has one of them inside him due to his father's insane experiments."

"What does he look like, your dad?" The blonde couldn't suppress her curiosity anymore, he was on a roll with answering her questions and she hoped to god that they weren't interrupted.

"He stylised himself after me, but add maybe twenty years, some shiny blood red hair that is spikey and long, and a grizzly cross-shaped scar on the right cheek and another down his right eye. I think he is currently over in Crocus acting as a liaison between the company and the Queen. So he would be living in Crocus."

"I kinda want to meet him now…" Celeste murmured as she glanced around the precinct.

"You probably will end up meeting him eventually, he keeps in touch with the other dragons too. Anyway, that's enough questions for now, we better head to the office." Sal said as he rolled his shoulders and started heading past the various desks laid out in the main floor.

The two agents garnered numerous filthy looks from the older staff for interfering with their work, some of them were edging to their weapons, setting off Sal's instincts and causing him to look over his shoulder while blowing a puff of smoke into the air. Silently daring them to act on the decision that they had come to as a group. He saw the younger and more intelligent police officers start to move away, along with those who had seen him in action before. The man sighed and turned to the aggressive officers. "Let's get this over and done with, I've got shit to do."

The Agent closed the short distance in less than the blink of an eye, moving as a blur. He slowed himself down substantially when he came within striking distance of the biggest aggressor.

The Officers didn't even have a chance to react as Sal spun on the ball of his foot and drove his heel into the man's stomach, sending him skidding along the floor and into a large printer. The Officer groaned and struggled to get up but blacked out due to the shock on his system.

"Look, none of you are a threat at all. Just sit down and have a five-minute power nap." Sal shook his head and exerted his influence, forcing the aggressive officers to fall to their chairs and be put to sleep. While he was at it, he extended the influence to cover all but Officers Rose and Jordan. "Forget what Agent Celeste and I look like, you will only know of us by our reputations, and will consistently draw a blank when try and remember what we look like. When you see us next you'll not memorise our appearances, we'll flit into and out of your mind like a cloud of butterflies in a gale. You will not be able to draw any links between our civilian identities and our professional identities. Now, go to sleep for five minutes."

Everyone on the floor collapsed in a heap, leaving only four to remain standing. Alexia and Allie glanced at each other then stared at Agent Salamander in shock. "What the hell was that?" They both shouted in unison.

"Macro, one of the abilities that I have in my arsenal. Unless in emergency situations, I usually require authorisation to use it due to the dangers of it. Much like the majority of my abilities, I can only use them to their full capacity in certain situations." Sal replied calmly as he turned on the spot and motioned for Celeste to follow him as he started heading to the exit. "Don't worry, they'll be fine. Everything I said will be an absolute command that they'll obey. I didn't use it on either of you because I felt that I could trust you, don't betray that trust."

"If you want to bitch slap some of them." Celeste glanced at the clock hanging on a wall. "You have about four minutes to do so freely before they wake up, otherwise you'll miss the opportunity."

"See you two around." Sal said as he took the burnt down cigarette and flicked it into one of the aggressive cops' coffee mugs on his way out of the building, Celeste trailing closely behind.

Another chapter done, hope it turned out alright. I wasn't originally going to do the police station scene but I decided it was a good vehicle to establish more plot and lore of the story, and to lay the foundation for future events. I do apologise for all the dumb little mistakes that pop up in the writing itself, when I go back and cross-reference existing names and events and I come across them, it tends to piss me off… but I can't be bothered going back and fixing them. Anyhow, if you enjoyed it then consider hitting follow and/or favourite, leave a review with your thoughts. See you all next time.