Besides the occasional snores from Natsu, the infirmary was quiet. The sun was just beginning to rise and light was starting to pool in through the windows. Lucy was tucked under the white sheets of the infirmary bed, her breathing soft and even. Natsu was slumped next to her, sitting in a chair and leaning on the edge of the bed. Happy was asleep on the other side of the bed, curled up next to Lucy. The two hadn't yet left her side.

Happy was quick to get her back, and though Wendy was surprised to see how littered her body had become in such a short amount of time, she was quick to get to work. She spent over an hour casting healing spells, starting with the stomach wound and moving on to the blisters and tears all across her skin. It was no easy task.

She finished tending to as many wounds as she could before her magic was beginning to give out. Wiping the sweat from her face, she looked at Natsu with a smile, happy to say that Lucy was going to make it. The guild mates who had been in the room cheered in excitement, thanking the small girl and applauding her talents.

Wendy was quick to shrug it off, insisting that it was nothing. They remained in the room keeping a watchful eye on Lucy. As the time ticked by, slowly they began to empty out of the room. Starting with Wendy, then Mira, followed by Erza, and finally Gray. The ice wizard didn't look too good himself, but thanks to Wendy, the burns he sustained weren't going to leave any lasting marks.

Natsu was the only one who had stayed, trying to stay awake through the night but ultimately succumbing to sleep. He lay with his face smooshed against the bed, arms sprawled out and hanging over Lucy's legs.

He was quick to wake up when he felt the slightest movement, head shooting up and eyes darting around the room. Normally, he was quite the heavy sleeper, but recently his body would become wide awake at any sound or movement. He saw no signs of trouble. Looking down, he found Happy asleep peacefully, and a faint smile crossed the dragon slayers lips.

It faded quickly when he looked at Lucy. Her face was probably the only part of her body that was barely tainted. Natsu's heart filled with worry at the way the blond's face contorted. Her eyebrows were knitted tightly together and it looked like she was in pain. Her body began trembling, and soft whimpers escaped her lips.

A nightmare.

Natsu was firm but delicate, placing a hand on each of her shoulders and gently trying to shake her awake. His touch only made Lucy react more violently. She began thrashing under his hold, waking Happy as Natsu kept her pressed to the bed.

"What's wrong with her?" Happy asked.

Natsu was too distracted to answer him. Instead he called out to his partner, concern evident in his voice.

"Lucy! Lucy!"

At his words she relaxed for a second before once again squirming under his grasp. She was trying to fight him off, but Natsu's strength easily subdued her. He shook her harder, nearly pleading for her to wake up.

"C'mon Luce, snap out of it! You're safe. You're at the guild," Natsu kept rambling on, repeating his words and encouragements.

She stilled, eyes snapping open as they scanned the room around her. Her gaze fell on Natsu, who still had his hands on her shoulders. She instantly relaxed at the sight of him, but her body was soaked in sweat and her breathing was still ragged. Lucy took deep breaths, trying to calm down.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Happy asked.

"I think so," she answered, lifting the covers to see the bandages that covered her body. "For the most part, anyway."

"Can you get Wendy for her, Happy?" Natsu asked.

The blue exceed nodded, flying out in search of the bluenette. Natsu was quick to grab a cup and fill it with water. He brought it back and handed it to the blond as he studies her. His eyes wandered over her many injuries and bruises.

"How did I get here?" She interrupted his thoughts.

"Tracked your scent and found you. You looked like you…" His voice trailed off.

"Like I was gonna die?" Lucy finished for him. "I thought I was going to."

"We should have come for you sooner," Natsu said, the regret palpable in his tone.

Lucy placed a hand over his and he met her gaze. She was smiling softly at him, her eyes shining with gratitude. How could she be covered in bruises and still look so beautiful? Before Natsu could ask why he even had that thought, Lucy was thanking him.

"I know you came as fast as you could. Thank you, Natsu. I'm positive you were the one who saved me, even if I wasn't conscious to see it."

"Nah," he waved her off, "Erza and Gajeel were there, too. And the cats. But I guess I am the one who caught you from falling to the ground."

He was grinning ear to ear, and Lucy couldn't help but laugh at how much he looked like a weirdo. Her memories of her short time aboard the airship came rushing back, and her smile fell. Natsu followed suit, his expression now serious.

"You okay?"

"Just remembering what all happened," Lucy said with a shudder.

Natsu waited, leaving it up to her to decide whether or not she wanted to share of her time on the ship. He watched as Lucy recalled her torture. She looked like she was going to throw up.

"It wasn't a pretty sight," were the words she settled for.

Natsu grunted his agreement. Her injuries was all he needed to see to know that was a fact.

"I saw two men. The first, he said his name was Kraff," Lucy said, remembering the pain he inflicted upon her. "He was the one who did all this to me."

Natsu felt the rage inside of him boiling over at her words. One man had done all of this to her. What he wouldn't give to have five minutes alone with that guy. Lucy continued, interrupting his thoughts.

"The second man stopped him. His name was Xeno. He seemed… kind," Lucy said with a small smile on her face.

Natsu seemed unimpressed, scoffing at the look on her face. She reprimanded him in return before a horrified expression replaced her anger. She was remembering something else.

"My keys!"

Lucy's eyes searched wildly, checking herself then all around her. Despite the small hope she had that they were still with her, a part of her knew they weren't. She couldn't even sense their magic presence.

"We didn't get them," Natsu said, his gaze hardened. "But we will. We ain't done with these guys yet! They'll pay for what they did to you—"

"You don't understand, they said they needed them in order to—"

The door flung open, Happy returning with more than just Wendy. Erza, Gray, and Carla also entered, relieved at the sight of Lucy awake.

"How are you feeling, Lucy?" Wendy asked as she extended her hands out.

"I'll be okay. Thank you, Wendy. I'm sure I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

"It wasn't just me. The whole guild played a part in rescuing you," Wendy shrieked.

"Don't be so modest," Erza said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You worked very hard last night and Lucy will recover swiftly as a result."

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Wendy was red with embarrassment but she managed to thank them for their kind words. Lucy noticed the wounds on Gray, who was not surprisingly wearing only his boxers and standing just to the left of her.

She touched one of his burns, concerned as she asked, "What happened?"

Carla noticed Natsu roll his eyes at the situation.

"I was closest to the explosion," Gray stated nonchalantly.

"Are they gonna heal well?"

He nodded. "Thanks again to Wendy. Don't know what we'd do without her."

Wendy clamped her eyes shut at their praises. She finished her final spell, ordering Lucy to rest for the day and take it easy. The blond agreed with a sigh.

"I just remembered something before you guys got here, and it's really important," Lucy said, her tone serious.

"What is it?" Erza asked as she crossed her arms.

"Those guys are a dark guild, and they said that the zodiac keys are a component needed to activate the staff once it merges with the orb."

"Your keys?" Natsu asked.

Lucy nodded. "It's just like the eclipse gate. The zodiac keys are an aid in time travel, and that's why they took me."

"I see." Erza said. She had a hand on her chin as she thought. "I suppose that was why they were so quick to give you back. But it makes me wonder why go to all that trouble if all they needed was your keys?"

"Maybe they were trying to send a message," Gray said.

It was possible. Lucy had only seen two of the seemingly elite wizards. And they had dedication from a multitude of men, and that was only on the airship. There could be many more. Even after the ambush, Lucy's capture, and her rescue, the guild had yet to know what exactly they were up against.

"That's not all," Lucy stated, "One of them seemed like a leader of some sort. He told me what their intention was once they assemble the staff, and it's not good."

"What is it?" Wendy asked.

"Apparently there used to be this serum that could grant the consumer immortality. I've never heard of it, but maybe Levy has. He said that it grants whoever drinks it infinite magic store, along with advanced power and spells."

"Immortality and increased magic power?"

Lucy nodded. Natsu looked confused, scratching the top of his head while he asked, "How do they even know it exists?"

The blond thought back on the man's words. He said someone had drank it, and a type of antidote was made to counteract the effects of the serum. Maybe they could try making the antidote? Lucy didn't even know where to start, so she just answered his question.

"Someone consumed it centuries ago."

"Then wouldn't that person still be alive?" Carla asked.

Lucy shook her head. "I guess some of his men were able to make an anti-serum. Put it in his drink and killed him."

"Well why don't we just do the same thing?" Natsu asked as he laced his fingers behind his head.

"I doubt there's a recipe to make it," Erza said, earning an 'aw man' from Natsu.

"Even if we could, there's no guarantee history would repeat itself. Whoever drinks the serum would gain countless spells, have their magic stores increased by thousands, and worst of all, they become immortal. Someone that powerful would be… unstoppable."

"It does appear to be quite a difficult feat," Erza concluded. "I think it would be best if we wait for Master Makarov's return tomorrow and see what he has to say about all this. In the meantime, I'll ask Levy if she can do some research."

Team Natsu agreed, their expressions stoic. They had no idea how close the dark guild was to accomplishing their mission. Even waiting a day felt like a risk wasting that time, but right now it was their only option. They just had to hold out hope that the dark guild wasn't as close to obtaining the Omnicore as it appeared they were.

"I think we should let Lucy rest now," Gray suggested.

Wendy nodded, saying that would be best before Lucy protested.

"I just slept for who knows how long!"

"Sleeping and being unconscious are two completely different things! You will do as Wendy says," Carla stated.

Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes at them. Still, it meant a lot to her to see how much her friends cared about her. It made her smile. She thanked them again for rescuing her, in which they said they would do again in a heartbeat.

"We should all go to gather as much information as we can," Erza said, making her way for the door.

Natsu remained frozen in place, unwilling to move from his spot. Erza gave him a look.

"You too, Natsu."

"Do I have to?" The fire wizard whined.

Lucy began to notice how tired he looked. His hair fell across his face, lacking its usual spike. He had dark circles under his eyes, and she could swear every couple of seconds she saw his eye twitch.

"Maybe you should go home and rest too, Natsu," Lucy said.

"I'll allow it," Erza said. It wasn't like Natsu would be of much help researching anyway.

He opened his mouth to object once more, but Erza grabbed him roughly and began hauling him away before he could say a word. Wendy giggled at the two. She, Carla, and Happy followed next, and Gray lingered for a second.

"How are you really doing?" He asked her.

"I know I'll make a full recovery, so that's good." Lucy said with a small smile. Her gaze fell with her next words. "It's the flashbacks that get to me."

Gray sat in the chair Natsu occupied just a minute ago. His voice was low and his eyes were stuck on the floor below him.

"I'm sorry. If I was paying closer attention I might've been able to sense that guys magic presence."

"Are you kidding?" Lucy asked, bewildered. "Gray, you got hit by the blast worse than anyone. None of us knew everything was going to be so sudden. I don't blame you for anything, so please don't blame yourself."

"I know you're right…" He trailed off. "But still. You scared us all when we saw the condition you were in."

"I'll be okay," Lucy reassured him.

"Right."

He stood again, smiling at Lucy before heading out in search of probably Erza or Levy in order to help with their research. Lucy realized Carla was right, the tiredness creeping in. Her eyes felt heavy when she blinked, falling into a deep slumber.

Hi friends! I absolutely adore Lucy and Gray's friendship, so I was hoping to sneak in a little moment for them at some point in this story. Let me know your thoughts!