AN: I don't even know what came over me. I sat myself down, ready to write a completely laughable Eclipse arc AU with future Rogue, but…

This came out instead.

I blame hormones. They're making me bipolar, I swear.

Anyways, here's my weekly update.

From the moment he had first seen her, Mard knew she would die.

At the time, he had been set on making it happen himself. That weak, pathetic girl had withstood Alegria? He didn't think so.

When Jackal and Lamy had apprehended her, and had been moments from ending her life, he had grinned.

He had grinned, knowing that her life's clock would stop ticking soon.

Mard had always been able to hear the different clocks humans had. It sounded like a drumbeat, constantly beating down upon their bodies.

At the time, no one had been there to explain that these "clocks", were in fact, hearts.

She had explained it to him later, of course.

But still, he remembered vividly the feeling of disappointment that had enveloped him at the time when she survived. But he'd also had other things to worry about. Like the Celestial Spirit King for one. That was a slightly bigger problem than this girl's clock.

But then, they met again.

And he had fallen.

Pathetic?

No.

This girl was everything but pathetic. She was life, embodied in a human. She was heaven, through her pain, he experienced hell.

He heard the angels sing with her. He was on a permanent high.

His life hit its climax, and he had never been happier.

Then, calamity.

He had never known she had wanted kids. He had never realized, that out of all the gifts he was able to give her, that wasn't one of them.

He should have known better honestly. Zeref had created them with destruction in his mind. Why would he give his monsters the ability to create something as precious as creating life?

Not even Jackal had dared to comment on this.

Lamy had been the first person he had begged. Surely there would be something she could do to give him this ability. And though she had tried, over and over, each time, he proved unable.

She had comforted him then. She told him it didn't matter, that there were other options.

But she couldn't hide the permanent sadness that took residence in her eyes.

She was still as bright as ever of course. But as her friends grew older, as they had their own children, as she saw them reflected in a younger generation, he saw it for himself.

She wanted that.

Still, with time, they had overcome it.

Within the next year, they had visited the same orphanage Cana had resided at. They went in as two, but they came out as three, a third clock joining their little family.

And he went back to floating.

But as time passed, he grew more and more aware of the changing times.

Their daughter grew up and married her own husband (Natsu's child, of all people).

And he realized.

His wife's clock was slowing.

It was still ticking, but he could feel it getting slower and slower everyday.

She was still as beautifully vivacious as ever. But even she seemed to sense the change, and did everything in her power to stop him from seeing it.

But he couldn't avoid it.

He still remembered the day it had stopped forever.

She had been unable to leave her bed that day, but even then, she still kept her smile on. Her eyes still had the brightness that drew everyone to her. She still glowed with the same intensity that he imagined the angels did.

But as he pressed his lips down to hers, he could feel the slowness in her response. And as he rose up, he could see the exhaustion in her expression.

The next thing he knew, she had taken in another breath.

It would be the last one she would ever take.

Her clock had stopped.

In the end, Mard Greer hadn't been able to save Lucy Heartfilia.

Her clock stopped, but his kept ticking, stronger than ever.

And that was the way it would always be.

AN: I'm so sorry. I don't think I'll be writing anything this depressing for a while. Fluff suits me so much better. I might post something lighter later tomorrow or something to make up for this. It might be a double update this week.

Anyways, review and tell me what you think! And any suggestions for lighter stuff is welcome. I could use the inspiration.

-Fareetauhl