DISCLAIMER ON CH1.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Part 2 to LOST (CH3). The characters are probably OOC (I'm so out of tune with Fairy Tail now, really sorry). There's a bit of swearing. I hope you all enjoy. Please tell me what you think, I'd really like to know.

FOUR: AND FOUND (2 of 2)

Everything was beautiful and elegant and oh so real. Flowers were placed right next to the end seats of each row. Down the middle laid the long, white carpet, awaiting the arrival of guests, bridesmaids, groomsmen, groom, and bride to step on as they reach either their seats or the front of the chapel where the priest stood waiting.

Cana Alberona, in her fanciest dress, sat in the middle seat located on the right side. As the ceremony began to commence, she sat in silence as her mind wandered away from the impending wedding. As the priest started to speak about vows and promises to be together forever, Cana sat there feeling numb, as if she were just another person there to witness a wedding. It was nothing special, per se. All she could think of was how wrong they were for one another. She felt as if she were an organism from another galaxy witnessing something that was considered sacrilegious. It was foreign and weird.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Wait, what? Cana thought as she was brought back to Earth. She missed the part where the priest called for any objections. In her mind, she shouted, "BUT, I HAVE AN OBJECTION. This marriage shouldn't be happening! They don't belong together! Don't you see? They just don't work. They don't work well together…"

It felt as if she was looking back into the past. Was this happening again? Or maybe, it was just a dream, just like two years ago. As Cana came to this conclusion, her eyes opened from her slumber.

Two years have passed since that day. Just like in her dream, Cana missed the chance to say her objection out loud. Maybe it was a blessing, considering the fact that she didn't want to object in the first place. After all, no one wants to be that person who ruins such a happy event, especially not Cana. Plus, Cana had nothing to complain about anymore. These past two years have given her life lessons as well as good fortune.

As Cana roused, her eyes focused on the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on the ceiling of her bedroom. Her room was different now. It was bigger. No longer did she live in an apartment all by her lonesome self. Instead, she co-owned a house. With two bathrooms, three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen, her home was basically the ideal family home. The outside of her house was painted white, a white-picket fence marking the outskirts of the land she owned. A little doghouse was parked on the corner of the house; every once in a while, a small black-spotted puppy was seen roaming the front yard.

Cana swung her legs off of her queen-sized bed, all the while remembering the days following Laxus's wedding to Evergreen. After all, that dream served as a reminder of her past mistakes, her stupidity, and the dominoes that fell due to actions she, herself, had set upon.

One year and nine months ago. When Cana gets a wake-up call.

After the wedding, for three months, Cana immersed herself in mission after mission. She kind-of, sort-of had a feeling of guilt for not saying anything at all to stop the wedding. It didn't help that, ten minutes after the reception, Laxus and his Raijinshu went off on a mission, and haven't been heard from since. She regretted not stopping the wedding. At the time, the only solution she could think of to erase-or, more precisely, to supress her guilt was to get away from Fairy Tail.

So she chose missions at random, never looking at the possible danger in the mission, just choosing the highest rewarding flyers. During this period, Cana also stopped drinking. Her workaholic nature started to worry some of her closest friends. After all, a non-alcoholic Cana is not the Cana everyone loved and adored. Plus, she was stealing most of the best rewarding missions, and Natsu and company were not quite happy with that (especially Lucy).

An intervention was called upon. Mirajane, Macao, Lucy, and Gray preceded this intrusion in Cana's life. It happened when…

"Mira, I'm heading off to another mission," Cana yelled, as she grabbed the closest flyer and started towards the exit.

About halfway to the door, a hand grabbed Cana and yanked her towards an unoccupied room. She struggled, but the person was too strong, dragging her into the room and dumping her onto a nearby chair. Cana looked back just as the person was leaving the room. A click marked the sound of the door being locked from the outside.

Cana frowned, the darkness in the room confusing her senses. What the fuck? was all she could think of as she sat there, wondering if this was some sort of trick. The light turned on after a second. Blinking in an attempt to adjust to the onslaught of light, Cana noticed that there were people in the room, specifically: Mirajane, Macao, Lucy, and Gray. A banner hung on top of their heads, reading: "INTERVENTION."

Cana laughed, suddenly. "What the fuck is this bullshit you're trying to pull, guys? I've got a mission to head off to."

Mirajane sighed, "Oh, Cana-"

"This is an intervention." Gray said, stating the obvious. "We think you have a problem…"

"You've been going on a lot of missions lately…" Lucy continued.

"And you've stopped drinking too!" Macao interjected.

"We-the whole guild-think something is wrong with you, something you're not telling us." Mirajane added, giving Cana a look suggesting that she had a pretty good idea what that something was. "Maybe you should lay off the missions for a while. You're not acting like yourself anymore. We miss the Cana who used to drink barrels at a time."

Cana sat in silence throughout this whole ordeal, her thoughts on Laxus and Evergreen's marriage returning rather rapidly as she stayed still for the first time in months. She contemplated her reasons for even thinking about their union, settling on the fact that Laxus was her best friend for years. Maybe that was enough cause for her mind's replaying of that joyous event. Sometimes, she hated herself for even thinking about it still. What normal person replayed their best friend's marriage over and over in their head? God, something had to be wrong with her.

As she came to that conclusion, Cana noticed the silence in the atmosphere. Looking towards her nakama, she noticed that they were waiting for some kind of…reply. So, just to sedate their worry, she said, "I'll think about it."

Cana was in the bathroom now, looking at herself in the mirror, just like two years ago. Her reflection stared at her, a glint in Mirror-Cana's eyes, challenging Cana to say anything contradicting her dream. "Okay, so I had a dream about his wedding. It's the first one in a year though! It has to mean nothing. Right?" She asked, looking questioningly at her reflection. All she got was a tiny smirk as a reply.

Cana frowned at herself, thinking that she should've known better than to ask Mirror-Cana a question. She used to make the same mistake with Mirajane.

One year and six months ago. When Mira tries to interfere with Cana's life again.

By this time, Cana was back to normal. She was drinking with the guild's local drunks again, happily, healthily, with her whole mind intact while others were slowly losing their inhibition. It was familiar. It was the same as it has always been. She was happy, or at least she appeared to be.

Cana laughed wholeheartedly as a table flew by. Natsu, Gray, Elfman, and the rest of her nakama had started a fight again. It was funny how familiar this was. It was funny how she was forgetting…no, she couldn't think about it. She shouldn't be thinking about it at all. Cana took another sip of her glass.

She sat at her little spot by the bar as a bystander to the fight. It used to be like this in the past. Her sitting at the bar, bearing witness to Gray's stripping tendencies, Natsu accidentally causing explosions, Elfman's rants about manliness, and so on. She used to sit there with Laxus, laughing at the ridiculous situations that were considered normal, daily-life activities in Fairy Tail. Sometimes, when she had drunk a little more than she should, she would even partake in those activities. But, something was missing. Laxus was still gone on that mission. It's been months-6 in fact.

Cana waved towards Mirajane, signaling for another mug of beer.

Sometimes, Cana regretted drinking so much. After all, her tolerance level was so high that she rarely became inebriated. She missed those days when she could drink and forget about the trouble following in her footsteps. Nowadays, it was so difficult to forget anything while drinking.

"Cana, how've you been?" Mirajane asked as she handed her another mug of beer.

Cana mumbled a few words, "Fine. Great." She was distracted and Mira noticed straight away.

Making light conversation, Mira said, "Well, that's good. I'm glad you're back to normal, Cana! I know it was hard on you after that wedding and with Laxus still on that mission... How long has that been going on, anyways?" The last question was aimed towards herself; it was sort of weird after all, with Laxus being S-Class and a dragon slayer to boot.

Cana frowned. Why did the subject of Laxus keep coming back to her? She didn't want anything to do with him anymore. …Why didn't she want anything to do with him anymore anyways? Out loud, she said, "Can you please not mention him, Mira? I don't-I'm trying to forget, you see. I really don't want anything to do with him anymore…"

"Why?" The ever-meddling Mirajane asked.

"I-I don't know." Cana answered, honestly. "I just…I really don't want to think about him."

Mira frowned. "I think I know what's going on. You're upset with him, aren't you? For not telling you about Evergreen and their dating and the marriage proposal. If you are, Cana, it's okay. I'm sure he didn't mean to upset you."

"Really. I just don't want to talk about it." Cana said, with finality. She took a long chug from her mug, hoping that, maybe, she would forget this conversation ever happened. She knew it was wishful thinking though. There was no way she'd forget this conversation.

"Cana…"

"I really don't want to hear this." Cana said. She got up and headed towards the exit, never looking back.

Present-time Cana was in her room again, looking though her closet. That conversation with Mirajane was what influenced her actions a few months after. She remembered how, after she left, she had made the decision to completely forget Laxus and the wedding. She was going to start over. A new Cana. A new lifestyle. She was completely set on that path. So when Laxus and his Raijinshu finally returned after their extremely long mission, well, let's just say that the Cana he knew was not the one he conversed with that night.

Cana wasn't proud of her actions that day when he finally returned. It was immature and completely unlike the rational adult Cana was. It was one memory she would forget if she could, if only it didn't replay in her mind at unsuspecting times, ruining her day.

One year and five months ago. When Laxus meets new-Cana.

As per usual, Cana was sitting on a barstool near the bar, sipping another mug of beer. It was her tenth one that night. A tall person with a muscular build loomed over her as she nursed her beer, deep in thought. He coughed, catching her attention. Cana looked over and frowned.

Laxus, in all his full glory, was hovering over her, a smirk on his face. "How's it going?" He asked as he sat down on the empty stool next to her. He waved at Mirajane, signaling for a glass of beer.

Cana mumbled in a sarcastic tone, "Life's all grand." Her end of the conversation was short and concise, mostly because she didn't want to talk to him. But life never did turn out exactly as she wished.

Thus Laxus, keeping up his end of their little chit-chat, asked, "Aren't you going to ask about me? I mean, it has been months since we last saw each other. As a friend, shouldn't you have been worried?"

Without looking up from her glass, she muttered, "Nope. Didn't think about it. At all."

He frowned, "Are you mad at me? 'Cause seriously, I have no idea what I could've done to deserve this." He paused. "Is this still about the wedding? It's been months now Cana, and really, you don't seem like the-"

"I don't care! I don't care about you. Or the stupid wedding. Or your freaking mission. Okay?" Cana interjected. "Just…leave me alone."

Laxus looked as if he had more to say, but seeing how frazzled Cana was made him reconsider. As she got up, ready to leave again after another failed conversation that left her uncomfortable and, frankly, tired, Laxus seemed to reach a consensus. "It was just for the mission, Cana. Please don't be mad because of that." He said some more, but she was out of range already, her heart pounding, wondering what he meant by that.

Cana was dressed now, heading downstairs towards the kitchen. Oh god, she was so embarrassed by that memory. She should have stayed and listened to what he had to say. But her stubbornness and feelings of rejection (she had that feeling a lot, what with her mother's death and being left to take care of herself) kept her from thinking rationally.

If she had listened, she wouldn't have had to go through what happened next. Damn her for being such a girl.

One week after Laxus's return. The unavoidable doubt.

She was in her tiny apartment, doing nothing but thinking. All of her repressed emotions, thoughts, and concerns came rushing at her, unannounced, unloaded, leaving her feeling confused yet free, too. Mostly, she thought about Laxus (because really, who else would she be thinking of?). A little bit of her emotions were aimed towards her loneliness, which hadn't been an issue for a really long time. Some anger was lashed out towards the memory of her father who still had no idea who she was, yet still pranced around the world on missions too dangerous for her to follow.

The most prevalent thought in her mind was: Why? Why do I keep thinking about him, that wedding, and if he and Evergreen are happy?

She never gave a second thought to what he told her back in the guild. Too preoccupied with thoughts of her own, she didn't see the significance in what he said. All she could think about was herself, and how she didn't want to think about him, but how impossible it was at that moment.

As time passed on, little bits of conversations from the past resurfaced:

"You know, if I were to predict who would marry Laxus back then, I'd say you…"

"Ha! We're just friends."

… …

"You're different, Cana. You're not you anymore."

… …

"You're upset with him, aren't you?"

Cana shook her head, trying to erase all these tidbits out of her mind. What was up with her? It was almost as if she was acting like some lovesick fool. But she wasn't. No way. That ship sailed a while ago. It's been so long since she was actually in love with someone that, really, there was just no way she could be. Not again. Not with him, of all people. No way. Just…no…way. Could she be?

But she was.

As Cana walked into the kitchen, she smiled. A plate of eggs and bacon with a side glass of orange juice had been placed on the table, the utensils right next to the plate. She couldn't help but think, oh god, I love him.

One year ago. The truth.

A couple months had passed since Cana isolated herself from the outside world. With those couple of months, Cana had gained some knowledge about herself. She realized that she had been suppressing her feelings ever since that day, so long ago, when he had told her he liked someone else. She had been so hurt, and it was just so much easier to ignore these…feelings, the bane of her existence. Maybe she was being childish, but, to be fair, she was a child.

After that day though, she reemerged into society, acting as if nothing had changed even though everything had changed.

She went back to drinking at Fairy Tail. She was friendly, cordial, and rather pleasant for once. It was weird for everyone inside the guild hall. But the weirdest part had yet to come. Laxus was on the second level, drinking. When Cana emerged again, he was the first to notice. Not one to give up right after a bad experience, he walked over to her, intent on continuing their conversation before her disappearance.

"Cana." He said, his voice rather husky.

"Hey." She replied. Her demeanor emanated tranquility and a willingness to talk to him even after all the grief he caused her. She wasn't hiding from him anymore.

"I need to tell you something." He said. He waited for her to signal him to go on. Sensing her silence as the signal he was looking for, he continued. "I'm not sure you heard me as you were leaving the other day. But, the marriage between me and Evergreen? It was a hoax. It was just for the mission. I can't tell you any of the details, it was a bit ugly. But, we had to make it believable, so I tricked everyone. And I'm sorry if I hurt you. I should've told you, but I couldn't. It wasn't safe for anyone to know. And I know you're mad at me, but really. Can you be mad after I've told you all of this? We're friends, Cana. I've known you for so long now, it's hard for me to believe that you'd hold a grudge." He laughed sarcastically. "I mean really, remember that fight we had the first time? The one where you insulted me? I didn't hold a grudge then. And it's not like I expect you to do the same. It's just, I expect you to do the same."

At this point, Cana was breaking into a smile. After all, he knew her better than anyone. And if he could forgive her for not thinking before speaking, well, shouldn't she forgive him for lying to her? Shouldn't she let go of her anger towards him for marrying Evergreen of all people? But wait, the marriage was a hoax? Did that mean they weren't really married after all?

Her heart pounded, loudly. She laughed. And then she did the most uncharacteristic thing ever. She got up and hugged him. Laxus. The guy she had been in love with for years, although for most of the years, it was suppressed and hidden and stored away until now. She wasn't running away from him anymore. So, she did something else surprising. She kissed him. Who cares if he didn't return her feelings just like before? Who cares if their friendship became weird? She was taking chances now. And that was all there was to it.

Cana was just about finished with her meal. She brought the dish and glass towards the sink, seeing used dishes and glasses already there. She shook her head. He never did like doing busy work such as washing the dishes. Sometimes she hated that about him, but most of the time, she just couldn't help but think how male it made him. He was such a boy like that.

Then she headed towards the yard, carrying with her a dog bowl filled with dog food, all the while remembering one of the happiest moments in her life.

A week after she kissed Laxus. Their first date.

They were sitting outside of a café on the edge of Magnolia. They hadn't ordered anything; Cana not being hungry and all. They were just there, talking. Although this might constitute as one of the most boring dates ever, to both Cana and Laxus, it was a pretty good day.

"So, you liked me back then, but you never told me?" Laxus guffawed. "Dude, why didn't you say anything?!"

"First of all, don't call me dude. I'm a girl." Cana stated, annoyed. "Secondly, you told me you liked someone else! What was I suppose to do? Let our friendship become awkward and fade away like a memory? I'd rather remain friends than lose you altogether." It was a bit more sentimental than she was used to. But it was okay. After all, she and Laxus were close enough for her to show her weak side. It's not like he would say anything he's never said before anyways.

Laxus smirked. "Dude, I only said I liked someone else 'cause I liked you, idiot. I wasn't gonna just blurt it out like a blubbering fool."

Cana smiled. That was probably about the sweetest thing Laxus would ever say. And that was how their first date went on. It wasn't the most romantic date, but it wasn't any different as when they used to hang out together. Maybe that was bad, or maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was true that love after friendship made everything easier.

Their dating after that day was pretty standard. They went on dates, hung out together at Fairy Tail and in each other's living spaces, and sometimes even went on missions together. As time passed by, they grew closer. Soon enough, they were living together (still are, in fact). And now? Well…

Cana was outside, putting the dog bowl in front of the puppy's dog house. She kneeled down, staring at the puppy as it ate. He was such a cute dog. Every once in a while, when he roamed the yard, he would run and then flop over. It was adorable.

"Hey Cana. Are you ready to go?" a gruff voice asked, amusement evident in his tone.

"Of course." She said softly, so as not to disturb the puppy's eating. She got up, and walked over to him, her boyfriend (even after a year, it was weird calling him that), the one person she could honestly call her lover.

Laxus stood there, his arms crossed, wearing his usual outfit complete with headsets around his neck. She smiled up at him. "I love you," she said.

He grinned and took her hand. "Let's go," he said gruffly.

As they walked off, Cana frowned. "Hey! I told you I love you, jerk."

He laughed, loudly. "I know."

"Then?" A pause. "Aren't you going to say the same back?!"

"…Maybe."

"Oh, come on! Don't be such an ass, Laxus."

"Babe, you love me and my ass." He turned his head and winked at her.

"Hmph." She pouted.

"Oh my god. Fine. I love you, too, Cana."

"Good."

They might not be the most conventional couple ever. And maybe they really weren't. But Cana knew that that didn't change anything. She was as in love with him as ever, and she knew he felt the same. That was all there was to it. And all there ever will be.