Chapter 4: Overwhelmed by Magic

Erza woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. Groaning out loud, she rolled over to search for the source of the infernal noise. The lamp by her bed crashed just as her fingers wrapped around lamp's electrical cord.

"Shit!"

The redhead felt a bit disoriented, but she was pretty sure she didn't drink anything last night.

Finally grasping the edge of her cell, she blinked at the screen, seeing her partner's name.

"Hello."

"Erza, where the hell are you?" Gray demanded.

Sitting up, she rubbed her temples and yawned before glancing at the time.

8:32

WHAT?! That finally woke her up.

She was forty minutes late!

Being late was unacceptable in Erza's book so she leaped out of bed before becoming tangled up in her covers and falling to the floor.

"Ooomf!" She glared at the covers, trying to kick their spider-like clutches away from her. The pieces of cloth would feel her wrath later... when she had time to punish them.

"Erza are you ok?" Gray started to sound a bit worried. "Where are you?"

"Home."

"What was that noise?"

"That was the sound of my pride being killed by a bed spread."

"Uh… What? Hmmm… Thinking about it, I'm not going to touch that comment with a ten foot pole. Listen, just hurry up and get your ass dressed. I will be over to pick you. We have a crime scene."

"A murder?" Erza finally worked herself out of the trap. Besides feeling a bit hung over, her neck was itching and she had no idea why. The mirror reflected that it was red from her scratching. There seemed to be a small raised area as it she had been stung by a huge insect.

An insect?

Erza spun around in a defensive crouch, thinking someone was in the bathroom with her.

Nobody was there.

Laughter echoed in her head. Distinctly male and highly amused... He said, "That's the first time I have been called an insect. At least, I get to be a huge insect."

Great... Erza was hearing voices now.

Gray broke the sound when he said, "Maybe? Unsure and Erza, it's bad. A jumper."

"Understood." The girl pressed the end button before flinging the phone to on her vanity.

It skidded across before falling off the side, shattering the screen of the device.

She just stared at the phone.

Today was not going to be a good day.

"You look like the living damned." Gray muttered darkly as Erza sat her Starbucks mug on the cup holder of his truck. The case documents were waiting for her on the dash so she just nodded while reaching for the file. Even under her make up, she was pretty sure the bags under her eyes looked like massive bruises. And for some reason, she seemed to have lost her tan in one night.

After a moment of flipping through the papers, she replied, "That's only because I have not had enough caffeine this morning."

"So did you sleep in? That's unlike you."

He took off his jacket, throwing it in his back seat.

She sipped her coffee eyeing him wearily. "You know its too early to start you stripping habits?"

"Early my ass. Did you stay up too late?"

Wanting to change topics, Erza asked, "CSI has already been there?'

"Yea because someone couldn't get their ass out of bed." Gray left the parking lot, heading downtown.

"Shut up. One mistake. I overslept. No. Big. Deal."

"Yea but if the situation was reverse, you would beat my ass for being late. Seems like the shoe is on the other foot. Think I like how it fits."

Erza reached over to yank his ear.

"Geez, what was that for?" He rubbed the red spot now forming on his lobe.

"For giving me sass this early in the morning."

"Early? It's almost noon?" Gray stated incredulously. The dark haired man's face changed. He smirked, "It might be early some places. I guess its 5:00 somewhere, too."

This time she slapped the back of his head, but all he did was laugh at her.

Erza and Gray strolled through the alley viewing the CSI team taking notes.

The smell of decomposition hit Erza in a wave and she gasped.

Are you hurt? A voice asked.

Her head started to throb. A small headache had been forming since she woke up, but now it had gotten worse.

"Erza?"

She smiled at Gray's worried eyes. "I'm good." She noticed how he examined her with a frown. Gray's face knew that she was in pain. He was the only person who ever could tell when she was faking something. It wasn't just because he knew her. Even when she had met him years ago before they were even partners, she had noticed that his eyes seemed very old and aware of the smallest details.

The female detective gritted her teeth through the pain, and viewed the body. Something in her head seemed to be unhappy about her thoughts about Gray. Bending down, she said, "See his arms. Definitely was tied up recently."

Gray pointed while glancing upward. "Murder? Maybe he was pushed?" Circling the body, the male detective began to calculate, which building the man fell from.

"It is strange. Usually if he had fell from the roof or something. There would be more blood. So maybe he didn't gall from a very high distance? But then his body would not have so much damage. It's like the blood is missing."

"Maybe something took it." Gray muttered.

"Oh here we go again." A random voice said behind them. Turning, the pair saw the chief medical officer Wendy Marvel. "Not another vampire theory?"

"So what do we have here, Marvel?"

"Male, 26. Seems to have been thrown from the top of the build if the state of his body is any indication. There are deep lacerations on different parts of his body that was done pre-mortem. Someone was not gentle with him. Also the bruises around his wrists and hands suggest he was bound before he died. And the slight discoloration around his mouth suggests asphyxiation. There is no indication he was strangled. Maybe plastic bag."

She continued her description, but Erza had stopped listening. A feathered feeling brushed the redhead's brain, and then her headache was gone. Was it my imagination?

"After you m'lady." Gray made a showing of bowing to Erza. She had no idea what he meant.

Covering her lack of focus, She playfully slapped Gray, "No you."

He walked over the fire escape.

"See and I was trying to be nice," He started to say as he jumped to pull the ladder down, "But then you want to cut a man's chivalry."

"Watch it Fullbuster. This is the modern age. Women don't need knights to slay their dragons."

"I am fairly sure it is just you, Erza."

"Was that a complement or an insult? I might actually think you are trying to flirt with me. You haven't gotten any in awhile?"

Erza was fairy sure she heard growling after she made that statement. Hesitantly, her eyes sought for some dog that might be in the alley with them, only there was no source for the strange noise.

"Wait... What?" Standing in shock, Gray looked down as she rushed up the ladder. "See there you go. Your mind always takes things to the extreme Scarlet. If it was anyone else I would think you were sexually harassing me. Flirting at the very least."

"If we are going to talk about sexual harassment, you might want to put your shirt back."

"Huh? Oh hell." Gray slapped his forehead as he realized that he left his shirt on the ground below them.

"That's ok though. Its a good view." She smirked at him before proceeding swiftly overhead. Erza yelled back, "Watch yourself! I will race you to the top."

He whispered. "Don't worry I am watching."

Erza had just reached the roof when she started to feel dizzy.

She felt something grab her waist as she looked into Gray's worried face.

"Hey, hey. Are you ok? You seem like you gonna pass out."

Erza turned suddenly as the same deep voice said, You have a very dangerous job, mi amor.

"Gray. Catch me."

Then the world faded into blackness.

Next Chapter: Moonlight Magic

Thanks to my reviewers! NaluFTfanatic -ToukaKaneki - Guest

If you like this story, let me know.

(AN: See more about Gray's history in Gypsy Fortune)