Okay I really have to apologize. This chapter has been done for a long time, and I didn't even realize that I hadn't ever posted it. So sorry guys. Such a scatterbrain here. Hope you enjoy the conclusion to this story. It's been a long time coming lol

GaLu Week: Day 7 - Secrets (Part 7)

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

SHARING HER HEART

"Now...about Gajeel."

Lucy's brow wrinkled in confusion. Why was he worried about Gajeel? Natsu had to know what the jerk had done to her, so shouldn't he be ready to kick the Metal Meathead's ass?

"I don't wanna talk about him," she announced firmly as she moved off.

From behind her, she heard Gajeel sigh and mutter, "I told you..."

"Just hold on a minute," Natsu called back, then hurried after her. "Luce wait! Where ya goin?"

Lucy ignored her partner and made her way toward the large tree she'd stowed Happy in, intent on not only checking on the tiny Exceed, but also avoiding whatever Natsu wanted to say about the other man. Though her best friend hadn't really starting speaking yet, she had a feeling he was going to push her to talk to Gajeel.

And the fact was she wasn't nearly ready to talk about him, much less have an actual conversation with him. Gorgeous though he may be, he had proven himself to be nothing more than a smug asshole, and Lucy had no time for a guy like that. She'd finally found the strength she needed to start getting over him, and she wasn't about to compromise all that to appease Natsu.

Why was he pushing this so hard anyway? In her mind, Natsu should be on her side. He should be standing up for her and sending Gajeel on his merry way. Instead, he'd dragged Gajeel with him all the way out here on her job, one they hadn't been invited on incidentally, and was most likely going to demand that she work things out with the arrogant jerk.

Well, Natsu could say what he wanted. She was done fawning over Gajeel. She'd been acting like a damn fool for that man long enough.

"Luce..." Natsu called again as she moved aside the branches she'd placed in front of the hole in the tree. "What are you doing?"

Peeking in, she found Happy sitting up, his small paw rubbing at the sore spot on his head. "Hey buddy, how's the noggin?" she murmured as she lifted him from his hiding place.

"It's okay." The small cat smiled softly up at her, then seemed to notice who was standing behind him and cheered, "Natsu!"

"Hey pal!" The pink-haired man grinned, but frowned when he noticed the small lump on his friend's head. Taking Happy from Lucy's arms, he reached up and brushed a light finger of the knot. "Hey, what happened to your head?"

Lucy leaned over, dropping a soft kiss on his injury, then explained, "We got pinned down a bit in the beginning, so Happy flew us out of there. But they kept firing at us, and we ended up running into a tree. It wasn't a really bad hit, but it knocked him a little loopy, so I hid him in that tree so he wouldn't get hurt any worse."

"So...basically, Happy wrecked," Natsu mused, his tone shifting into a tease. "Thought you could drive better than that, pal."

The blonde had to laugh at the Exceed's indignant expression. With his little arms crossed over his chest, he managed to look both stern and adorable. Poor guy couldn't pull it off to save his life.

"Lucyyyy, he's picking on me," he whined, turning a pitiful face her way until he saw the expression on her face. "Hey, don't laugh!"

Ruffling the fur on top of his head, Lucy shut down her laughter. "Sorry Happy." She turned to their partner, her chin quivering with barely repressed amusement, and scolded, "Natsu, don't be mean to him."

Natsu coughed to cover his own laugh, then nodded sagely. "Sorry buddy. What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Fish!" Happy gushed, his eyes fairly sparkling with excitement as his mouth dripped with drool.

The two partners shared an easy laugh at his expected response. "Okay then. I'll get you a fish."

"No two!" he argued, his paw coming up to rest on his chin. "No wait...let's get five!"

Lucy giggled and shook her head. She'd missed this. Things just hadn't been the same without Natsu. He was their third, the final piece to the triangle that was their little team, and she was glad to have him back.

So happy was she that she had all but forgotten the other man in the clearing until Natsu's brow furrowed. Pushing Happy back into her arms, he bolted toward the quickly retreating figure of the dark-haired man.

"Gajeel wait!"

Lucy watched as the taller man glanced over at her, then back at Natsu just before he shook his head. Against her better judgment, she found herself intrigued by their conversation, wondering what the two of them were saying. Obviously, it concerned her as they both kept gesturing in her direction, and it frustrated her to no end that she couldn't hear everything.

But why did she care? Gajeel had barely known she existed until she'd literally tripped her way into his line of sight. And even then, he hadn't been interested in anything but making fun of her. He must have gotten quite a laugh at her expense, so what the hell did she care what he had to say about her?

By the time she'd worked all this out, she found that her anger had returned. That small bit of peace she'd enjoyed only moments ago had disintegrated, only to be replaced with humiliation and complete annoyance. And that pissed her off even more.

She'd had such a bad day. Her emotions had been up and down since the incident with Gajeel, going from aching sadness to a fury she'd never known she could possess before. So now, to have that small measure of happiness she'd found with Happy and Natsu washed away because of him was too much.

Giving a frustrated huff, she spun around and headed off in the direction she'd come. If Natsu wanted to cater to Gajeel, he could damn well do it by himself.

But she got no more than a few feet before her partner was yelling out for her. "Luce, hang on!"

With a roll of her eyes, she faced him, letting her expression do the talking for her.

"Hey come on. Don't be mad at me again," he pleaded, dropping a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Lucy sighed. She had a feeling she already knew what he wanted, but she asked, "What is it, Natsu?"

"Look, I know you don't want to talk to him..." He trailed off, seeing the definite shake of her head. "Wait. Just hear me out, okay?"

The blonde drew in a deep breath at his request and nodded, waving her hand for him to go on. Her stomach swam with nerves. She didn't want to hear his reasons, didn't want him to give her excuses on Gajeel's behalf, but he was her best friend. And if he needed to talk, then she would listen.

"It's really not what you think it is, Luce."

"Then what is it?" she asked, feeling her temper spike again.

"I...I can't be the one to answer that," he muttered.

She grunted at his response. "Can't or won't?"

"Luce, you know I would if I could. If you want to know, you're going to have to ask him. Just...let him explain."

Lucy wanted to be angry at him for refusing to tell her what was going on, but she knew what Natsu said was true. He'd never kept anything from her before unless he honestly felt like it would be wrong to do so. He was loyal and honest, and most importantly, she trusted him. And though she didn't know why he felt so strongly about her talking to Gajeel, she knew he wouldn't push her so hard if he didn't think it was important.

Seeing the assent in her eyes, Natsu gave a nod of approval. "Go ahead and take care of this. Happy and I will take these guys to town and pick up your reward."

"Fine..." she sniped, handing over the small blue bundle before stalking off in Gajeel's direction.

She may be doing what Natsu wanted, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. She hadn't had enough time to prepare for this confrontation, and as Gajeel's deep red eyes lifted to hers, she felt that familiar sensation of being trapped. She wasn't over him yet, and she'd wanted to be when she finally had to have this conversation.

She'd thought she could face him once she'd gotten back with her heart firmly intact, but as she came to a stop in front of him, she realized how foolish that notion had been. Her feelings for him couldn't dissolve so quickly, no matter how much she wished differently. She was still hopelessly and pitifully drawn to him.

In spite of all he'd said and done, her heart still ached for him, and the hurt she'd felt at his casual attitude earlier welled up again, even worse than the last time. Her eyes stung with tears, the traitorous wetness betraying how hard this was for her.

But she refused to let them fall, steadfastly pushed them back until her vision cleared. "Well?" she asked, folding her arms beneath her chest and silently demanding he get to the point.

Gajeel shifted uncomfortably, then dragged a jerky hand through his hair. "I...didn't mean to..."

"Didn't mean to what?" she snapped, her eyes flashing with what she knew would be a mix of hurt and anger. "Didn't mean to read my diary? Didn't mean to find it so damn funny? Didn't mean to be a complete and utter asshole?"

"I didn't think it was funny," he growled. "That's not what I was trying-"

Once again, she cut him off, her expression snide. "Oh right. You just thought it was pathetic."

His eyes narrowed, and he snarled, "Don't put words in my mouth!"

"They why don't you say it?" she yelled back, throwing her arms up in bitter frustration. "Tell me all about how I don't understand...how you did nothing wrong!"

Why was she even doing this? Here he was getting pissed at her, and she knew she was being a bitch about everything. But he deserved it! He had made her feel so damn stupid, like some poor pitiful girl pining away for someone she could never have. And though she hated to admit it, that's exactly what she was.

What she'd been anyway. That girl was gone now. Lucy had made sure of that. She couldn't control how she felt, couldn't just stop wanting the man before her, but she could damn well keep herself from showing it.

"I didn't say I did nothing wrong!" he fired back, his face clouding with some emotion she didn't recognize as he took a step closer. "I fucked up big time! I know that, and I'm sorry as shit for it!"

Lucy frowned up at him. She should have known that even when admitting he was wrong, he'd still be so damn cocky. He was Gajeel after all. Apparently, he didn't get that the concept of humility. Pursing her lips, she considered the dark-haired man.

Was he actually sorry for what he'd done? Or was he just sorry that things had gone down the way they had? The thought had her hardening her heart against him. If he thought he could pacify her with some half-assed apology, he had another thing coming. As far as she was concerned, he could shove it right up his ass.

She opened her mouth to tell him that very thing, but she didn't get the chance.

Gajeel cut in, his voice so much softer than before. "I get that you don't believe me, and maybe you have a reason not to - a lot of them actually. But I'm telling you the truth."

Lucy eyed him in silence for a moment. She couldn't deny that his quiet response had gotten to her. He was making her question herself. Had she overreacted? Was there some kind of misunderstanding?

But how could there be? He had quoted words directly from her diary. Hell, he'd admitted to reading the damn thing, and he'd laughed at her. So how could she have misinterpreted the situation?

Shaking her head at the conflicting thoughts, she denied his explanation. "No...you thought it was funny. You were laughing at me."

Gajeel sighed, his shoulders slumping at her rejection. "I wasn't laughing at you. I just...I didn't know how to tell you that I knew how you felt about me."

"Right..." she challenged, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "And why else would you want me to know except to make fun of me about it?"

"Because I liked it!"

"Oh I'm sure you did! I'm sure it stroked that gigantic ego of yours really well, didn't it?" Lucy snapped.

The Iron Slayer scowled at that and reached out to grab her arm. "My ego doesn't have a damn thing to do with it! I liked it because I like you!"

Lucy's eyes went wide at his admission, but her expression quickly closed down. "Bullshit! You couldn't give two shits about me. It took me making a complete spectacle of myself to even get you to see that I existed. So, don't shoot that line of shit my way."

With that, she ripped her arm from his grasp and turned to head back to town. She was done with this, and she was done with him. She didn't get even a foot away, and he was yanking her back around.

"You don't know a damn thing! I notice a hell of a lot more than you think I do," he shouted. "Like the way you've been tripping and stuttering all over the damn place for the last week and a half! Like the way you go out of your way to avoid my table at the guild!"

Lucy's breath caught in her throat at the glint in his eyes. She didn't know what was happening, and that made her nervous. She'd never seen Gajeel this way. Had she finally pushed him too far?

But then he was tugging her body into his, and the thought was washed away as his voice lowered and his eyes slowly scanned her face. "Like the way your scent lingers in the air after you leave a room. And how your eyes are the color of chocolate..."

Lucy's mouth hung open in shock at his words. She'd never been so stunned in her life. Could this be real? Could he honestly feel that way about her?

She looked up at him, for the first time with hope in her heart, and saw an answering plea there. The sight of such a thing froze her in place, and before she knew what was happening, his hand was lifting to her cheek, his fingers sifting into the hair framing her face. Her breath left her with a sigh as he brushed his thumb across the corner of her mouth.

"Like the way you lick your lips when you're nervous..."

Lucy's heart leapt at his confession, and without even realizing what she was doing, her lips parted, her tongue darting out to slide along the flesh of her lower lip. All at once, his eyes flashed with hunger, and giving her no time to react, he growled and dropped his mouth down over hers.

Lucy moaned as Gajeel gathered her soft body into his. His arms tightened around her, and she sank into his kiss, slanting her mouth in invitation for more. And he was more than happy to comply.

With a hum of appreciation, he delved into her mouth, his tongue sweeping inside like he'd done it a million times. They moved as one, their mouths dancing in perfect harmony, and Lucy couldn't deny the spark of fire it ignited inside her. She'd expected it to be incredible, but she could have never imagined their first kiss feeling like this.

There was no learning curve, no testing each other out. There was simply an ease, a familiarity to their kiss - like they fit together, like it was meant to be. And maybe it was. She'd certainly never felt such heat coiling inside her body and her heart had never pounded so hard in her chest.

Was this really happening? Was she really kissing Gajeel? It was like a dream, her best kept wish brought to life, and it was so much more than she could have imagined. It was overwhelming and perfect, and she prayed if it wasn't real that she'd never wake up.

He liked her...Gajeel Redfox liked her. And he was kissing her like a man long denied, like he'd waited anxiously for this moment the same way she had. Was it possible that he had wanted her and believed he couldn't have her? Had he felt like he hadn't had a chance?

They pulled apart slowly, each needing a moment to compose themselves, and then Gajeel was grabbing her head and leaning in once more. The kiss this time was short and sweet, and it sent her heart swelling with emotion.

But she had to hear it one more time. "Did you really mean it? You like me?" she whispered, looking up at him uncertainly.

She had waited for so long, had hoped so desperately for this so happen, and she wanted to believe it was all true. But a part of her was afraid to jump in.

"Yeah, it's true," he murmured, lifting a hand and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I never thought you looked at me that way. Otherwise, I'd have asked you out long before now."

Relief speared through her chest at his answer, and she smiled. "Does that mean you're asking me out now?"

"I kind of thought that was obvious," he replied, his brow raising expectantly.

"Well, not exactly. You could have just been kissing me because you want my body."

Gajeel laughed at her explanation and dipped down to kiss her again. "I want that too." He winked as he pulled back and added, "But I can wait."

Lucy blushed at such a bold declaration, but she had to be honest. It didn't bother her. She liked that he wanted her that way, because she wanted him so badly herself. So much so that she felt certain Gajeel wouldn't have to wait very long.

That thought sent another round of color to her cheeks, and she looked down, wishing that hadn't occurred to her. Now, he was going to think she was thinking pervy thoughts...which she supposed she was.

A deep laugh pulled her from her musing, and she realized that she had been standing there in his arms shaking her head at herself. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" he asked with a large grin.

"Nothing!" she protested, but her face betrayed the truth.

"Doesn't look like nothing. You got all red when I mentioned wanting your body," he teased, then paused as realization hit him. "Oh are you thinking about that? About the two of us...in bed together?"

A knowing smirk shifted across his face as she flushed once more, this time worse than before. "Wow...I had no idea you moved so quickly, Lucy," he said, pressing a hand to his chest as if in shock. "I'm just not the kind of man that puts out so early into the relationship."

Ignoring the fact that her face was all but smoldering, Lucy glared at the new man in her life. "Oh please, you'd put out right now if I wanted it."

"Oh, you definitely want it."

His tone was certain, his expression completely assured at his statement, and Lucy couldn't say he was wrong. "Your ego is entirely too big. I don't know how you can walk with such a swelled head all the time," she mumbled.

A sexy rumble sounded in his chest, and he leaned in, nipping at her lip. "You know you like my big...swelled..."

Lucy cut him off with a gasp. "I wasn't talking about that! Don't be so vulgar!"

"I was talking about my ego. That's what you said, right? That my ego was big... What exactly were you talking about?" he asked with a smug grin.

The blonde's mouth opened and closed for a moment, before Gajeel let out a bark of laughter. "Looks like you're the one with the dirty mind. Have I just been violated?"

"You wish you'd been violated," Lucy muttered grumpily. Feeling just a tad childish, she stuck her tongue out at Gajeel and pouted. "You're mean to me."

The dark-haired man chuckled. "I'm not mean to you."

"Yes you are," she disagreed, then poked him in the chest. "For that, you should have to carry me back to town."

Gajeel thought for a moment, before grinning widely. "You want me to carry you all the way there? Okay."

With that, he grabbed her small body and tossed her effortlessly over his shoulder. "How's that?

"What the hell are you doing? Put me down!"

"You said for me to carry you, baby. That's what I'm doing," he said, patting her ass. "Now settle down before you fall."

Lucy squeaked as his hand came down on her butt, her face flaring with heat again as she realized just how close his face was to her rear. "Hey cut that out! Gajeel, put me down!"

Gajeel ignored her grumbling and continued tromping through the woods toward the town. "So, where would you like me to take you tonight?" he asked conversationally.

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you put me down...Damn caveman..." she muttered, then paused. "And I want my diary back too!"

"Hey, you told me to keep it."

Lucy sniffed loudly, then said, "Well, I changed my mind. I want it back now."

"Sorry...no can do," he said, his voice sounding remarkably unapologetic in spite of his words. "I still haven't read all the parts about how hot I am yet."