Heeeeey lol, long time no see ;)

Chapter 3

Lucy sat in her car squeezing the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. She glanced out her window, then back to her hands. It was 7:30 on Friday night, and she was already in the parking lot at Fairy Tail.

She clenched the steering wheel again, silently berating herself. Ever since she had found Fairy Tail at the beginning of ninth grade, she had come here in secret, always getting there an hour after opening. Virgo had kept her secret and driven her here until she got her license. She arrived an hour after opening so no one would know which car was hers. Paranoid, she knew, but she was terrified that if her father found out about the dancing he would forbid her from going anymore. Or worse, do something to get Fairy Tail shut down. She wouldn't be able to bear it if something like that happened because of her. She relaxed her grip on the wheel.

But here she was, thirty minutes before opening with her bright blue car sticking out like a sore thumb in the empty guest lot. Her fingers clenched. She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone tapped on her window.

Lucy stared through her window with wide eyes, heart beating quickly. She tried to slow down her rapid breathing as she rolled down her window.

The white haired employee from last week stood by her door with a quizzical smile. Lucy felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "I'm sorry, if I'm not supposed to be here-, "she moved to turn her car all the way on, ready to move, when the woman laughed.

"Oh, no. You're perfectly fine!" she chuckled. "I just wanted to tell you that you can come inside if you want to." She waved a hand towards the building. "We've been wondering if you were just going to sit here until opening."

Lucy didn't know what to do. "Oh, um, I didn't know that I was allowed in. Before opening." She tried to speak as clearly as possible but still stumbled over her words, to her utter mortification. Lucy stared at her hands, silently willing the blush to stop spreading.

The woman just smiled, kindly ignoring Lucy's garble of words. "Why, of course! Regulars are allowed in up to an hour before opening." She stepped away from the door. "You're perfectly welcome." Lucy just stared at her wide-eyed for a moment. Then she sharply shook her head and turned her car off, slowly opening the door and pulling herself out. "I'm Mira, by the way," she introduced herself.

"Yeah, I remember. From last week." Mira's smile grew wider. The girl still seemed out of it. She was very pretty, in her dark blue denim shorts and loose pink tank top. She wore a variation of this outfit every week, switching to jeans when it got cold. Her long golden hair was gathered into a high ponytail and her face was clear of make-up save for a swipe of lip gloss. Mira had started to keep an eye on Lucy after her first few consecutive weeks at Fairy Tail.

They walked to the dance hall in silence until Mira took pity on the embarrassed girl. "So, where did you get those shoes?" Lucy blinked.

"Oh, these things?" She stopped and held a foot out in front of her, twisting her ankle to study her shoe. "They're dance slippers." Lucy shot a glance at Mira, who studied the shoes with more care now. They were black and seemed to be molded to the blonde girl's feet. The heel was slightly raised and they seemed very simple, like something easily found at a department store. But Mira was well versed in fine and elegant clothing.

"Those are custom-made, aren't they?" Mira's questions seemed to put the other girl at ease. Lucy was more comfortable talking about her clothing. Then Mira wouldn't be asking personal questions.

"Yeah. My mom got me my first pair when I was a little girl." Her face held a wistful smile.

"So you've been dancing for a long time?" Lucy nodded.

"According to my parents, I was dancing almost before I could walk." They made it to the front door and Mira held it open with another kind smile. It was infectious, and Lucy could feel a responding grin tugging at the corners of her own mouth.

"Well, I'm so glad you enjoy coming here." Mira ushered Lucy inside. Lucy made it several steps in before she stopped, studying the interior with wide eyes. This was the first time she had ever really seen it with the lights on. Usually at the end of the night, she swept out of the hall with the first wave of exiting dancers and was pulling out of the parking lot before the building had emptied. She gazed around silently, slightly surprised by the elegance around her. It reminded her of beauty she daydreamed about as she imagined her school's former glory.

The space was transformed in the light and she could hardly believe that this beautiful, spacious area was the same crowded dance hall she where she spent her Friday nights. The seating area on the left side of the hall was larger than she had originally thought, tall chairs and tables clustered into the available space. The bar Mira was leading her to turned out to be much deeper than she realized and a door in the wall hinted at even more room. Lucy quickly compared this new image to the outside of the building and was very disappointed with herself. She had been coming here for three years. How had she never noticed this before?

Having reached the bar, Mira gestured for Lucy to take a seat before she slid behind the polished wooden counter. Settling onto the stool, Lucy glanced around uncomfortably. The other employees present had paused in their work to stare at the girl Mira had brought in. A blond man at the DJ booth was grumbling as he slapped a few bills into the hand of a laughing brunette who, judging by the broom in her hand, was supposed to be sweeping. Lucy's cheeks warmed as she realized they had been betting on when she was going to finally get out of her car.

She turned in her seat as Mira placed a glass of water in front of her. "Oh, thank you."

Mira leaned on the countertop. "So, how do you know Natsu?" Lucy missed the slight twinkle in the barmaid's eye. She shrugged.

"I don't, really. I've seen him around but last Friday was the first time I ever talked to him. Whenever I see him he's always standing around the edges of the dance floor, looking for someone." She took a thoughtful sip of her water. "But I wouldn't mind getting to know him better." She smiled down at her glass. "He's the first person I've met in all my years of coming here who can keep up with me."

Lucy had never felt this at ease with someone she barely knew, hell, even with most of the people she did know. But Mira was so kind and inviting. They fell into amiable conversation as the hall began to fill with people, Mira asking about noninvasive things such as the classes Lucy was taking at school and her hobbies.

By the time the lights began to dim Lucy had been introduced to the laughing brunette, Cana, and the grumpy blond DJ, Laxus. Mira had stopped him on his way to the booth and he had grunted a greeting after his co-worker made the introductions. Lucy got the feeling that he only actually spoke to people he deemed worth his time. Cana had hopped over the bar and was helping Mira set out glasses and ingredients when the music started.

Lucy could feel the adrenaline rising in her blood as bass began to shake the building. She strummed her fingers on her legs with the beat and was about to say good bye to Mira and Cana so she could go dance when a strong pair of arms latched around her waist. Her heart fluttered as she was pulled out of her seat and into a warm embrace. And a firm chest. Tilting her head back, she caught a flash of pink hair and teeth before she twisted in his arms to face him.

Natsu was smiling so widely it actually hurt his face. She had actually shown up. He almost didn't believe it when he walked through the front door and saw her sitting at the bar, talking to Mira.

The music was already pumping through his veins when he walked up behind his beautiful dance partner. He snickered to himself when she grabbed his arms in panic as he pulled her off of the bar stool. He would never let her fall for real. His heart pumped harder in his chest as she turned to face him, but he chalked it up to the throbbing of the bass.

He couldn't write off how breathless he became when she smiled at him, so it was time for denial to make an appearance.

Her deep brown eyes glinted as she steadied herself against his chest. She glanced down for a second, grinning when she saw the dragon emblazoned across his chest. "Are you ready to get out there?" She arched a brow at him. He scoffed, slightly insulted by her doubt.

"The real question is, are you gonna be able to keep up with me once we get out there." His challenge made her smirk. She turned out of his embrace, golden ponytail swinging, and grabbed his hand, pulling towards the floor. When they were a few steps away, she turned.

"Well, just remember, breaks will probably be nonexistent." Her eyes narrowed and she leaned in. Natsu shivered as her lips brushed against his neck and she whispered in his ear, "Show me what you've got, dragon boy."

His smile was just as dangerous and he yanked her close to him, pulling her the last several feet onto the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing their bodies together until there was no space between them. Her heart beat against his chest, her breath puffing softly against his neck. Electricity shot through his body as her hands traveled down his arms. He mimicked her actions, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"I'm all fired up."

So, this may come as a slight surprise, but I'm not dead. Nothing is abandoned, I have no idea when the next update is coming (reviews may speed the process), if there are any heinous errors shoot me a pm.

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far!