Hey all! This is my first fairy tail fic, well my first anime fic ever, so please go gentle on me! I don't have a beta so any grammar, spelling errors are completely on me (But I promise I proofread!). I tried to make the story fully canon compliant as of the end of Tartaros, but I watch the anime as well as read the manga so there may be a mix of manga/anime compliance. I want to say, I am a full on NaLu shipper. I need Mashima to make that canon compliant ASAP! However, I fell into a rabbit hole of Lucy crack ships and completely fell in love with StiCy with this one fic I read (When I remember the name I'll add it to a chapter note). After I finished it I scoured the internet for more Sting/Lucy pairings to satisfy my little shipper heart and was honestly a little disappointed. There aren't very many! There's a lot of incredibly talented writers that are part of this Fairy Tail community! It's just, most of them aren't writing StiCy (it's a little niche I've discovered). So I was inspired to write this add this to the limited, yet lovely StiCy fics. The plot bunnies were hoping and I had to get my pen in action. I'm a few chapters deep and will try to update regularly if there is any interest in my little story. Hopefully we can see how it ends together!

Chapter One

Beep! Beep! Beep! Smack!

I let out a low groan as I smacked my alarm clock right off the nightstand. Another day had to begin. Like it always did. Another day filled with laying copy, picking photos, editing stories…another day without Fairy Tail. I closed my eyes tightly. Come on, Lucy, I tried pumping myself up. You can do it, you always do.

It's been almost six months since Faith Tail was disbanded, almost six months since Natsu and Happy left me with nothing more than a sloppy note. Almost five months since I've seen any of my guildmates…well, former guildmates. I took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh before I forced my eyes to open. That was the first step, of every day, since I've been in Crocus. Just force my eyes open. I laid there for a moment, readying myself for step two, swinging my legs out of bed. I finally stood up and dragged myself to the bathroom.

I threw some water on my face before looking in the mirror. "You are Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Layla, master of the stars. And you will get through another day." I glared at myself for a moment, my hands on either side of the sink, fingers gripping the porcelain. I stood up, straightening my back and rolling my shoulders. I gave myself one last glare before stomping over to my dresser and pulling out my workout clothes and getting dressed. I stuffed my feet into my running shoes then snatched my keys off my nightstand, pausing for a moment to return that annoying alarm clock to where it belonged. I paused for a moment before leaving my apartment and took one last steadying breath before I made my exit.

Once I was in the courtyard I held one of the keys in front of me. "Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!"

There was a blinding flash of glimmering golden light that dissipated almost instantly to reveal my personal trainer. Ok…so he was much much more than that. My faithful spirit, one of my closest friends…hell maybe my only friend, and former guildmate, Loke the Lion. Leader of the Zodiac.

"Hello, gorgeous!" He gushed, lowering his sunglasses so he could take a better look at me. His eyes tracked up and down my body before he let out a low humph, crossing his arms with a slight pout on his lips. I rolled my eyes, familiar with the final step of my pre-workout routine.

"What's wrong, Loke?" I sighed, knowing the answer already.

"Lucy, baby, you know I love the way that spandex hugs your curves," he gushed, wiggling his eyebrows out me. "But, we've been training six days a week, every week for four months. When are you gonna give it a break and let me take you on a breakfast date?" He leaned into me, rubbing his hands down my arms and then grasping my hands. I shook him off impatiently.

"Loke, you promised you'd help me get stronger, a breakfast date is not going to help with that."

Now he rolled his eyes at me. "It's not even five AM!" he exclaimed. "I've had a long night, the clubs barely closed a few hours ago! I haven't gotten any sleep and…and…I'm not dressed for a workout today!" He said, like that settled the matter.

I eyed my spirit with amusement, but hoping to him I looked impatient.

"First off, you're a spirit, you don't sleep." He clicked his tongue at me and opened his mouth to argue.

"And second," I sternly cut him off, "you're a spirit, clothes are not a problem."

He froze for a split second and I immediately realized my error.

"Well, my divine goddess, if you wanted me out of my clothes all you had to do was ask!" He held his hand up, fingers together ready to snap. I immediately covered his hand with my own and glowered at him.

"Loke…."

"Ugh fine, fine!" I released his hand allowing him to snap his fingers. Another flash of light later and his tailored suit was replaced with a simple t-shirt and athletic pants. Although, those somehow managed to look perfectly tailored too. An advantage of being the most powerful of the Zodiac. Literally everything looked good on the ginger Lion.

"Thank you," I said graciously. "If you behave yourself I'll let you take me to breakfast before I go to the newsroom, my first meeting isn't until 10, so I've got plenty of time today."

That earned me a grin and a perfectly executed courtly bow. "Well then, right this way my princess." He held out his arm, guiding me through the courtyard and past the gate.

We started off with a slow jog down the street, turning left at the end of my block and picking up the pace as we ran up the hill that led to our "training area." Really, it was just an abandoned park, isolated enough that no one would stumble on it accidentally and dilapidated enough that no one would intentionally seek it out.

"So," Loke started as we ran side by side up the hill. "What's on the agenda today? Hand to hand? Star dresses?…Stamina?" He asked, hopefully, waggling his brows.

I just laughed. I couldn't help it, he always made me laugh with his not so subtle flirting. Sometimes I wondered what he would actually do if I took him up on his offer one of these days. Would it be, as he repeatedly insisted, the best night of my life with mind blowing, toe curling, breath stealing, see the stars sex? Or would he be so taken aback by my acquiescence that he couldn't bring himself to actually touch me as I always suspected? Well, I'll never know. There's nothing in the world that could make me risk ruining the relationship I had with my most loyal spirit...not even the promise of unforgettable repeat orgasms. And trust me, Miss Lucy Heartfilia was on one hell of a dry spell.

"Hand to hand I think," I finally huffed out. I had mastered the star dresses of all my spirits months ago and could now call them almost instantly and use them almost indefinitely. But my hand to hand could still use some work.

Through my months of training with Loke and my other spirits my strength and magic power has increased a lot. Capricorn had been great, teaching me how to increase my magic reserves and maintain my gates longer, allowing me to fully take advantage of my newly awakened Second Origin. I could now open three gates simultaneously and hold them open for almost half an hour, a single gate I could keep open for almost a full 24. Virgo had helped with my flexibility and balance, although I didn't allow her to use her bindings and ropes which I know she was still disappointed about. And Grandpa Crux has been instrumental in helping me master spells I could use without a spirit or a star dress. That's right, me! Weak, spoiled, little Lucy Heartfilia was getting stronger every day.

I trained with Loke every morning, star dresses, hand to hand, strength training, and I was now in the best shape of my life. When we first started, when I first moved to Crocus, I needed a good five minutes to catch my breath after running up this hill. Now, I was barely winded. The first few weeks were…hard. There was no other word for it. After Fairy Tail disbanded…after Natsu left me…I didn't know what to do with myself. The rest of the guild had stuck around Magnolia at first, but they slowly trickled away, one by one, two by two.

Ezra had gone off to find Jellal, she didn't even stay a full week in Magnolia. I still remember the day she left, pulling her ridiculous luggage behind her as I waved goodbye from the outskirts of town. It wasn't really a surprise. She was Titania Erza, the Fairy Queen…her whole identity for most of her young life was wrapped up in Fairy Tail…what was she when there weren't any fairies left? She had offered to take me with her. She painted a picture of the grand adventures we could have, fighting the forces of evil, defeating dark guilds, side by side with her childhood sweetheart. It was tempting, I knew I'd miss the action of going out on missions, the feeling of being part of a team. And I couldn't deny it, I was more than a little curious to see if the mighty Erza had the strength to make a move on the guy she was head over heels for. But…I wasn't ready yet. I wasn't ready to leave behind the life I'd found in Magnolia. I didn't have any family left, any connections to anyone really, outside of my former guildmates. It was hard for me to say goodbye to Erza. I couldn't yet bring myself to say goodbye to everyone else.

Gray and Juvia were next. That one was more of a surprise. Not that they left, more so that they left together. I had no idea where they were going, they didn't either. The beautiful rain woman had tears in her eyes as I hugged her goodbye. Don't worry, Lucy. Juvia is crying happy tears, for she is going away with her beloved. They didn't look like happy tears, I just clutched her tighter, knowing she'd miss me too.

Wendy and Carla wandered out of town with the Strauss siblings. I wanted her to stay with me but I knew the tiny dragon slayer would be safer with Mira. No one messed with the She-Devil. Besides, it'd be good for Wendy to feel like she had a family. Levy and Gajeel left with Lily. Levy wanted to visit Era and do some research in the vast magic library. From her letters it seemed like it was everything she had hoped, she was learning so much. She did pointedly avoid answering my question about where Gajeel went after he escorted her there. I gave a little knowing smirk, as if he'd ever leave her side.

Soon, no one was left in Magnolia but me. I knew it wasn't healthy for me to stick around on my own. I couldn't get jobs anymore since I wasn't a member of an official guild and it wouldn't be long before I couldn't even afford my little apartment. Besides, the memories that were triggered every waking moment of every day were just too much for me. So, five weeks after Fairy Tail's disbandment I reached out to Jason at Sorcerer's Weekly, hoping for a job. At first, all he wanted me for was modeling, and let me tell you I quickly stopped envying Mirajane for all her centerfolds. But eventually, he found out I could write and offered me a post as editor!

Ok…so I told him over and over I could write and please give me a chance and now I'm an editor in training. It's not so bad though, I haven't had to get him coffee in almost three weeks! He trusted me to do the copy on my own mostly and I even got two articles in print! But…it still wasn't Fairy Tail. The day I left for Crocus I found myself standing outside the wreckage of my old guild hall. I still remember it like it was yesterday….

"You'll catch a cold out here you know." I smiled softly at Loke's voice, and wider when I felt his suit jacket being placed around my shoulders.

"Just a few more minutes," I said softly. I couldn't tell if I was telling him or asking for permission.

I felt Loke's arm settle around my waist and I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"I'm sure gonna miss this place," he sighed.

"Yea, me too." I felt a warm tear slide down my cheek before the cool autumn breeze dried it against my skin. I shivered and Loke held me tighter.

"Oh, Loke," my voice trembled. "What am I gonna do all alone? I'm too weak to be on my own. How am I gonna get through the day?"

I felt his grip tighten before he spun me around to face him. He grabbed me by the shoulders and gave me a gentle squeeze.

"Hey," he was trying to get my attention but I stubbornly kept my eyes on my feet. His warm fingers slid down my cheek, wiping the tears that were now flowing freely. He lifted my chin so I had no choice but to look him in the eyes.

"You are never alone, not while you have us…not while you have me." I smiled at the seriousness in his voice. "You are not weak, Lucy Heartfillia, daughter of Layla, master of the stars. And you will get through the day." He was looking at me with such intensity that, for a moment, I almost believed him. I shook my head sadly and tried to pull away. He just held my chin tighter. So I closed my eyes. It was childish, sure, but I knew, and he knew, that I wasn't strong enough to be on my own. Not just physically, but emotionally as well.

"Fine," he said, letting go. He reached down and grabbed my single suitcase. He put his arm around me again and guided me toward the train station. Toward my future, and away from Fairy Tail. "If you think you're so weak, we better get started."

"Started on what?"

"Your training."

So that's how I got here. All alone in a big city. It wasn't so bad really. I still miss Fairy Tail and my friends, my family, almost every second of every day. But I wasn't going to waste my time moping. I didn't run away from the decadent comfort of the Heartfilia mansion, battle Achnologia, Grimoire Heart, Tartaros, Eclipse Celestials and watch my future self die just to give up and wallow in my own grief! I could get stronger, I could make it on my own, until I didn't have to anymore.

After two grueling hours of hand to hand combat with Loke, during which he didn't pull any punches, and several stacks of blueberry pancakes later I was showered and dressed and on my way to the office. I hummed as I walked down the street side by side with Plue. Plue pun punned along with me. I walked through the doors of Sorcerer's Weekly, pausing in the lobby to thank Plue for the escort.

"Thank you, Plue, for walking me to work. You can go back now."

"Punn," he said before he popped through his gate back to his own realm. I checked my watch, 9:45, plenty of time to grab a coffee from the break room before the weekly staff meeting.

I dropped my bag off at my desk before filling a cup with some liquid energy and making my way to the conference room. I was almost to the door before I realized the copy for tomorrow's edition was still in my bag. I quickly rushed over to my desk, snatched the bag off my chair and rushed down the hall to the meeting room. I was so busy rifling through my bag as I walked through the door that I didn't even notice we had visitors.

"Jason, I've got tomorrow's copy right here and I was thinking last night, that article on Mermaid Heel feels a lit—"

"Lucy!" Jason cut me off. "That can wait, I'm in the middle of an interview!"

"Huh?" I said stupidly, still searching through my files.

"Heya, Blondie," a rough voice greeted me. "Long time, no see."

"Sting?"