Don't hit me! Yeah, I know I should be working on the multi-chapter (tentatively titled Glutton For Punishment), but this struck me in the shower and took a few hours to complete, with breaks taken for food and various Fairy Tail loving. LaxLu, of course.

I don't own Fairy Tail, but up to a certain point, I can see this being an OVA.

Alternate Summary: She could trace it back, Lucy realized. It all came back to just one question. What would you do, for the ones you love? How far would you go?

"Flame-brain!"

"Stripper!"

"Reckless idiot!"

"Icy bastard!"

Mirajane sighed. Ah, the sweet, dulcet tones of a Fairy Tail morning. It never became boring, watching her fellow guildmates go about their business.

Most mages would question such a powerful S-Class choosing to be a barmaid, but she wasn't ambitious or power-hungry. Mira liked her simple pleasures. There was something relaxing about wiping a wooden mug clean while her friends interacted – or, in Natsu and Gray's case, fought.

Lucy burst into the guild as if her very life depended on it, tripping over the daily riot at the entrance. Slamming to the floor face-first, the unfortunate young woman proceeded to skid on her face down the length of the guild hall.

She finally came to a stop with a soft thump against the hard wood of the bar. Mira winced. Unfazed, Lucy bounced to her feet, looking very determined about something.

"Mira, I need a job! Now!" The S-Class woman smiled and put down the glass she was cleaning.

"Hi. Lucy, your face..." Mirajane tugged out a small hand-mirror and showed the celestial spirit mage the shiny new track marks. They started at her forehead, traveled straight over her eyes, and finished only at her chin. The blond woman waved it away, appearing not to notice or care. Instead, she dashed to the request board and back, looking hassled.

"Are you sure there aren't any other requests? I need to make my rent, quick!" Lucy waved her arms for emphasis. The barmaid felt the corners of her mouth turn down and grabbed the book she used to keep track of all the jobs at the guild. The younger woman wrung her hands impatiently while Mira ran a slender finger down the old pages. Mira sighed, and closed the book.

"No, Lucy, I'm sorry. That's all we have right now."

"B-but, Mira! There's nothing over there I can do!" Lucy's shoulders slumped as she sank into a bar stool, bemoaning her impending eviction. Mira pat her on the back, wishing there was something she could do.

"Why don't you go with Natsu or Gray? You fell over them coming in here."

"I can't go with them!" Lucy sniffled imperiously and pointed to her oblivious friends, still locked in furious battle. They'd moved to the middle of the guild and started throwing things at each other. "They destroy so much that any reward goes to pay for the damages! Which is fine when we have all month to collect enough money for rent and food, but it's the end of the month! I don't have enough time to put up with their fighting!" Lucy continued, tearing up. She could tell her voice was growing higher and higher in pitch with each word, but she didn't care.

At this point, she'd be lucky if eviction was all she faced. Don't they put people in jail for not paying rent? I can't go to jail! Lucy put her forehead on the cool bar, hoping to get some last-minute idea that would get her out of trouble. When she looked up, her friend's eyes were sparkling at something behind her. Slowly, she turned around.

Standing in front of her were the Raijinshuu, with Laxus himself looking rather impressive not two feet away from her nose. Lucy paused, and then began to turn back around. She couldn't care less what the four mages were doing at that moment. She was busy throwing her own personal pity party.

A heavy, hot weight landed on her shoulder before the celestial spirit mage could get halfway around. Lucy looked at the offending thing and growled, fully intending to throw it off her. She was busy, for Kami's sake. She didn't have time to soothe Laxus's ego.

"Come with me," Laxus said, nearly tipping Lucy off the bar stool. His words didn't seem like a request so much as an order. Was he serious? Lucy met his eyes. He certainly looked serious, with his mouth set in a grim frown. She saw the lines that had appeared in his forehead, and decided he wasn't joking.

Too stressed to argue, Lucy sighed, and stood up. With her high-heeled boots on, she was barely eye-level with his collarbone. She tried valiantly not to let that intimidate her, and glanced back at Mirajane.

What she saw worried her. Her barmaid friend looked like she was seeing stars, she was so happy. Lucy could tell there was a matchmaking comment coming any minute now. She looked back at Laxus.

Or, the spot where Laxus was supposed to be. There was just air now. Lucy locked eyes with Fried, confused. He answered her unspoken question with a small smile.

"I know he's being strange, but it will get you out of your rent troubles, at the very least. It's not a long job, a couple days at most. Pack light, and meet us at the train in an hour. Look forward to spending time with you, Lucy." With that, the green-haired man and his two friends left the guild hall, no doubt following the lightning mage. Lucy rounded on Mira once they were out of earshot.

The barmaid giggled, and held her hands up in surrender, saying "It's not that bad. As you can see, Fried is rather polite, and Laxus isn't as scary as he seems, I promise. They won't let anything happen to you."

The younger mage didn't let up on her glare.

Mira sighed, and slumped over in her own mini-depression. "Okay, okay. I won't say anything. You take all the fun out of this. But Lucy-"

Lucy cut her off, "Don't you dare start, Mira. I don't need your romantic tendencies right now." The blond woman reluctantly left the guild to pack.

She was a few minutes early, but they were all waiting for her when she got to the train station and found them clustered on a bench. Evergreen was sitting on the edge of the bench, glancing at the clock every few seconds, legs crossed neatly. Lucy stifled a giggle. Even impatient, Evergreen was still trying to be the picture-perfect fairy.

Bixlow was next to her, talking softly to his "babies". Fried was after him, his hands in his lap and his posture perfect, though he looked content with his friends.

Finally, there was Laxus, leaning back with his coat draped on his shoulders. He had his SoundPod in his ears, and was gently nodding to the music and his eyes closed. She didn't know what drew her eyes to him, but she was suddenly intensely curious. What was he listening to? What job had he volunteered her for? And, most importantly, why?

Lucy had to admit her curiosity was a little belated. She'd packed and left without even thinking about why she was doing so. She'd never been close to the blond dragon-slayer, for all that he was her nakama by being in Fairy Tail. He'd saved her at Tenroujima; avenged her with Flare. She shouldn't be at all wary of him, or the others.

She swallowed her apprehension and walked forward, feigning confidence. She could do this. She was strong. She was capable. She was totally not worried. Most of all, she was not sweating through her shirt or looking for the nearest exit. Lucy got closer, and gulped.

The four ignored her. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in the first place, and collapsed next to Laxus. He seemed the least likely to be hostile, since he was the one who'd practically demanded her presence. The man didn't even acknowledge her. The minutes ticked by.

Finally, a train arrived. Evergreen jumped up fast and Bixlow followed at a slightly more sedate pace as Laxus opened his eyes. Lucy took that to mean that this was their ride, and shuffled on with everybody else. Fried got ahead of her in the crowd, and wordlessly pushed a ticket into her hand as he passed. Forced to keep moving by the sheer number of people, Lucy stared at the small slip of paper – her first clue to where they were going or what they were doing. It was a shade darker in one corner and the edge was gone, like someone had taken a lighter to it. Mystified, she turned it over.

The destination was printed as Koibito, which couldn't be right. Koibito was a tourist town for relationships, full of sickeningly sweet stuff to do with your loved one. It was like a year-round Valentine's and White Day combined. The image of any one of her new companions even stepping foot in such a place was insane, and Lucy laughed at the thought. They'd probably die from overdosing on the color pink.

Somehow, in the confusion, Lucy had ended up opposite Laxus, near the window. The Raijinshuu were nowhere to be seen. She assumed they were in the next car over, and smiled sadly. This was so different from the requests she took with her friends. If she were with them right now, she'd be looking at Erza, Gray, and Wendy all squished together across from her. Natsu's head would be in her lap. Happy would be zooming around, trying and failing to impress Charla, probably on Wendy's lap. After Gray's insults and her own threats that Natsu better not throw up on her, it would be quiet. It would be comfortable and friendly and fun. There wouldn't be this splitting up, or this terrible awkward silence.

Granted, she was the only one who noticed any silence. Lucy scanned Laxus's face, feeling comfortable because he'd closed his eyes and gone to sleep, his head resting against the window. She tried to look through the eyes of a stranger, of someone who hadn't been taken hostage by this man and nearly killed.

His face was much more peaceful in sleep. There weren't as many hard lines to his face, and he seemed years younger. Able to observe without being questioned, the blond young woman conceded that he was actually really good-looking, with his straight nose, high cheekbones, and a strong, masculine jaw. He licked his lips in sleep, and Lucy's eyes were drawn to a mouth that looked surprisingly soft. When it wasn't spitting out arrogant, infuriating remarks, anyway, she amended.

If Lucy hadn't known for certain, she would never suspect that this sleeping man across from her could have hurt so many people, or staged a mutiny in an attempt to take over an entire guild. Or, Lucy reminded herself, destroyed the five most powerful people in a dark guild by himself to protect his family.

She could tell he was powerful, of course. Even sleep couldn't hide the amount of space he took up, or the corded muscles of his crossed arms. Every inch of his body spoke of a lifetime of training and fighting for a living. That amount of sheer muscle could've looked ridiculous on some, but with him, it just looked dangerous. She looked back down at her ticket, another sign of danger.

Koibito...why was a strong team like the Raijinshuu going to a lover's town? If they were needed, then surely the job would be too high-level for her to be of any use. Laxus didn't seem the type to just let someone come along and take part of his reward without having them help, so what was she doing there?

At least she'd have a long time to think about it. The man across from her wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, and their destination was a good four hours away. Lucy laid down on the seat, her face forward. The last thing she wanted was to fall off onto the floor, or worse, onto her teammate.

Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was, Thank Kami I wore pants and not a skirt.

She was awake. She wasn't sure why she was awake, or where she was, but she knew beyond a doubt she was regrettably awake.

Lucy opened her eyes with a mild protest in time to see the dragon-slayer draw away from her, stand, and grab his bag. The young blond copied his actions sleepily, rubbing her eyes and staying close to Laxus's broad back as the crowd parted for him. It came back to her all of a sudden; the panic for money, the strange invitation, the even stranger ticket. Oh, so we're in Koibito. Okay. Lucy stared at her companion a little wistfully. It must be nice. He never had to push through a crowd or worry about getting trampled. People moved for him without any visible effort on his part. He didn't seem to be any more awake than she was at the moment. She glanced around the station, looking for his Raijinshuu.

The entire station was cute, if you could call it that. It was cute in the kind of way where Lucy felt like being alone would've gotten her arrested. Every person there was holding hands with another, and the walls were covered with adoring couples. Public displays of affection must be normal here, she thought, amused, when she caught sight of one particular couple who really should have gotten a room.

She'd been right about her companions. When they were all together again, there were horrified and grossed-out expressions painted on all four mages' faces. Laxus sneered and led the way out of the station. The moment they were outside, he stopped dead.

"This is ridiculous," he said flatly. The other men nodded, wide-eyed. Evergreen scoffed. Lucy held in a giggle.

Nearly every building was covered in a brilliant pink. Heart-shaped light decorations were draped everywhere, stringing together love hotels, spas, parlors, tea shops, and more. The road itself was bustling with lovesick honeymooners. There were heart-shaped mosaics in the brick, to match the giant murals on the sides of the shops. Angelic fountains and wishing wells were on every corner. To top it all off, magic-powered machines pumped out pink, white, and red confetti continuously no matter where you walked. Laxus reached up and brushed some out of his hair. It wouldn't come out. His expression intensified and he growled slightly.

"Oh here, I got it," Lucy smiled and stood on her toes to run her hand across his hair and over his shoulders, shaking off the tiny, (what else?) heart-shaped papers. Laxus stared at her, and then started forward again, taking one stride to every three of hers, obviously trying to escape the area as quickly as possible. The rest followed and Lucy glanced behind her, gauging her companion's reactions.

Fried looked worried about something, but not at all wary of his surroundings – the celestial spirit mage didn't doubt he'd brought a girl or two here before. It was hard to guess Bixlow's thoughts when half his face was covered, but he didn't seem happy. His face was tilted downward and he looked serious, like he was ready for someone to jump out and tackle him. Evergreen's face was blank, as if this was normal. Of course, Lucy thought. Can't have the fairy image ruined with her temper.

Yes, Lucy was enjoying this. It had been ages since any one of them had done anything to harm Fairy Tail, and they were her family now. But she couldn't help getting a little vindictive amusement out of seeing such strong mages become so uncomfortable when confronted with some pink and a couple hearts. She observed them the entire way, fighting the urge to laugh when magical speakers started blasting out gooey love songs every few feet, making the older mages twitch and pick up speed.

Lucy herself had been here before, in her travels before she met up with Natsu. It was rather easy to get a well-paying job in Koibito as a waitress or cashier if you were a pretty, single female. It had been fun, for a while, but she'd left, despite her okay finances. It got depressing, if you weren't at least exclusively dating someone in a town designed especially for sweethearts.

It wasn't long before the company reached the outer parts of town, usually filled with private homes. Lucy could see her companions relax a little; there weren't so many outrageous decorations here, and the buildings – though still in pastel yellows, blues, and greens – weren't pink. No more confetti either, for which she could only be grateful. She'd forgotten how hard it was to get that stuff out of her hair. None of them actually spoke, and Lucy felt a little out of place among all the silence.

The pale houses eventually gave way to greener trees as the sun dipped below the horizon. Apparently they were spending the night in the forest, which was fine, but she was more confused than ever. So, their mission wasn't in Koibito? It couldn't be far or very complicated. Fried had said it would only take a few days.

They came to an acceptable clearing and Laxus threw down his pack, storming off. The rest of the members dissipated. Alone for the moment, Lucy placed hers down more carefully, and sat on the ground, sighing. She'd figured she'd get some answers while they weren't moving, but she knew better than to approach someone in that kind of mood. Last time, she nearly ended up without a right hand, courtesy of an angry Erza. All she could do was wait.

After some time, Laxus came back dragging a couple logs. Evergreen's return meant food. Bixlow carried firewood in his arms, dumping it in the center with a sigh. Strangely, Fried came back tired, but brought nothing. Laxus dragged the logs and arranged them around the firewood. All of them collapsed onto the logs at once. Lucy moved so she was sitting with Evergreen.

Silence. Lucy hated it, she really did. Why aren't they talking? An outsider would think that they didn't even get along with each other. They were all just staring intently at the firewood pile. Lucy began to devise ways to start a conversation, shifting on her piece of bench to put her head in her hands. Maybe she cou- Boom.

"ACK!" Lucy toppled backwards off her bench, feet in the air. The Raijinshuu began to laugh, breaking the silence.

"Ah, cosplay-queen, no need to get so scared of a little boom!" Bixlow grinned as she climbed back onto the log, huffing.

"Really, fairies should be far more graceful." From Evergreen, it sounded less like a reprimand and more like she was getting teased. Lucy started to smile, and turned at the sound of a deep chuckle.

"All I did was start the fire, chickie. If you're going to fall over at something small like that, you might not make it back to Fairy Tail by the time we're through," Laxus grinned crookedly as Lucy playfully glared at him, feeling the new warmth coming from the small blaze. Oh, so that's why my ticket was burnt in the corner, she thought. Laxus had evidently paid for it. She ignored this revelation in favor of more entertaining and pressing matters.

"You did that on purpose! I was thinking, idiot!" She crossed her arms for emphasis. Laxus only laughed harder, shoulders shaking with the effort.

"Couldn't have been very important. You're so blond, after all..." He reached over the gap between their respective seats to tug her hair lightly.

"You're blond, too!" Lucy pointed at his head, and tugged the tuft of hair at his forehead in retaliation. She started laughing at the look on his face.

"Oh, the girl can put up a fight! Bet you didn't count on that one, eh, Laxus?" Bixlow said, elbowing his friend as his babies chanted, "Fight, fight!" over and over again. Laxus rolled his eyes, and Lucy was dumbfounded. She'd never seen the lightning dragon-slayer so...so human. He could be Gray, without the stripping and the constant Natsu insults.

"Yeah, she puts up more of a challenge with words than that fire-breathing idiot does with all his magic," Laxus smirked at her, but replied to Bixlow. Scratch that, he was just like Gray with the insults. Lucy rolled her eyes back at him, a smile on her face. Now that they were actually holding a conversation, Laxus and his Raijinshuu were more like her favorite team than they realized.

"Don't make me mention Tenroujima, Laxus," she warned. The man waved her off, not appreciating the reminder that Natsu had beaten Hades when he couldn't.

"Don't make me mention the Grand Magic Games, Lucy," Laxus's smirk grew wider and he leaned in towards her face, drawing out her name until it was mocking her. Damn it, but he was right. He'd not only destroyed Corona Flare for her, but gotten Raven Tail disqualified and helped rescue her.

"I'm strong enough that I don't have to play the damsel in distress anymore. Care to try me, Laxus?" She said, also drawing out his name to seem more confident than she felt, channeling her inner strategist. If she knew her guildmates at all, then there was a large chance Laxus wouldn't actually take her up on the offer. So she bluffed, leaning in and resting her head in one hand, elbow on one knee.

Laxus smiled, "Maybe another time, princess. I don't want to have to drag around your unconscious ass until the job's over." Secretly, he took a second to admire the young woman's courage. She'd seen him in action, and was still willing to bait him like that? Lucy, however, skated right over the taunt. Hah, I was right! He hadn't accepted.

"Does that mean you're going to tell me what this secret job is, that you needed me to come?" Laxus frowned at this and leaned back, looking over at his team.

"Oi, none of you told her what the job was? What the hell?" The three glanced at each other, confused, and then shrugged at him. They took the food out of the fire – wait, when had they cooked the fish? – and began eating, Evergreen crinkling her nose. Laxus shook his head and looked back at Lucy.

"The job's a nothing one, the kind you only get once a year or so, by rich snobs who don't know how to request something. They ask for something real easy, like an escort mission where no one expects trouble. Then they demand at least one S-Class mage, so they can rub it in at their next high-society party that they only hire the best." He glanced sidelong at her, remembering what he'd heard of her ancestry.

"They pay through the nose 'cause rich people have no concept of money," Laxus added, enjoying the way she puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms in retaliation for the dig at her financial status. Luckily she didn't know he was rich too, or he would never have heard the end of it. He didn't enlighten her. She'd find out soon enough that an S-Class job meant S-Class pay.

"Most of the geezers are perverts, too," He continued, ignoring her when she voiced the assumption that he, Laxus, was probably a pervert as well, "so they usually request that at least one big-boobed woman be on the team. We're fine with those, because of Evergreen." He nodded at her, and in a fit of anger, she forgot she was the perfect fairy and threw a fish at him. He caught it and put it on his plate, unfazed. Evergreen tossed another, and this he gave to Lucy.

"With this job, we have to find some bracelet that some high-heeled feather brain managed to drop out here. We're supposed to do it discreetly, since the feather brain is the geezer's mistress, and the bracelet was a gift," he smirked, and Lucy laughed at the nicknames he gave their clients with such a straight face.

"So where do I come in?" Lucy asked, slightly confused. Laxus looked away from her for the first time, staring at the fire and digging into his own fish.

"Well, I don't get what he does, but Fried used his magic to find the bracelet just now." Lucy stared over at Fried, who smiled, unable to speak because his mouth was full.

"But don't you use rune magic? How does that work?" She asked, slightly bewildered. Fried quickly swallowed his bite of fish and opened his mouth to answer her.

"Well, you see-"

Laxus spoke before he could finish, saying wearily, "No, don't explain, Fried, she doesn't need to know and we'll never hear the end of it." Fried glared at him and took another small bite of fish. Lucy giggled.

"Don't ask, it's not worth the three-hour lecture," the man warned. The spirit mage nodded solemnly, making Fried let out a muffled "Hey!"

"So, my job?" She said to get back on track. She hoped she wouldn't have to be the one to actually go go get the bracelet. Traipsing around in the forest alone? She shuddered. No, thank you.

The dragon-slayer stared at the fire. "Well, I heard you whining, and it was giving me a headache..." He paused, checked Lucy's glare, smiled lightly, and continued, "This job had a postscript. We'd get a bonus for every big-boobed woman that was with us when we delivered the bracelet." He paused again, to take out his SoundPod and pop it on his ears before that sunk in. He really did have a headache, and she was sure to scream when her role was just to have big boobs and show up.

Laxus waited for a moment, and then looked at Lucy's face. There was no blow-up. She must have been thinking.

Don't get angry, don't get angry, don't get angry...Lucy sighed. Was this all she was good for? Her chest? She had half a mind just to get up and leave, deprive them of their bonus, when she slumped back down on the log. Who was she kidding? It was the easiest money in the world, and she was desperate. Speaking of...

"How many jewels am I getting for doing this?" the mage asked, looking contemplative. Laxus had to give her credit again for that one. Instead of blowing up like he'd predicted, she'd been smart enough to recognize what he'd just offered her – an exorbitant amount (by her current standards) of easy, fast money for her rent.

"Half the bonus, since you didn't even know about the job and wouldn't be able to do it if not for us," he answered honestly.

"That answer doesn't include a number." Laxus grunted, slightly impressed by her attitude. Where had that come from? This little mage was supposed to be the whiny, nice but overly dramatic member of Team Natsu, not some mouthy, arrogant, and thick-skinned woman with intelligence.

"Half the bonus would come out to around a million jewels, give or take a few thousand," he shrugged, watching her eyes light up.

"How much are you getting for the whole job!?" She asked, stupefied. Laxus finished his fish, which reminded her to take another bite of hers. He propped his chin in his hands, his ever-present cloak falling forward slightly, and looked thoughtful for a second.

"Well, it's ten million for the job, and then an extra two million because Ever's got a huge chest," The female fairy looked up at him sharply, but didn't comment, "and then we're splitting the second bonus with you, so that's another million. Divided by four, that makes three and a quarter million in my pocket," he calculated. Lucy frowned.

"But isn't Fried doing all the work?"

"Ah, well, he wouldn't be able to do the job if I didn't come along, because of the S-Class thing. That's how it works with us. All four of us go on the jobs, and share the reward, no matter who actually does the job. See, Bixlow here isn't doing anything," Laxus jabbed a finger at the man sitting to his left, who stuck out his tongue and grabbed another fish, "but the next mission might be one he's more suited for than the rest of us, and then we get to lounge around stealing all the food while he does the work." And with that Laxus stole the fish Bixlow had grabbed and took a bite.

"Oi! Get your own!" Bixlow said, taking it back. His babies copied him, saying "Your own! Your own!". Laxus pointed and shot them out of the sky with mini-bolts of lightning. Bixlow glared. Lucy couldn't see this because of the mask, but she was pretty sure anyway, since Laxus reacted like his teammate was glaring, and laughed.

As she sat there joking with them late into the night, she was surprisingly comfortable. They seem like entirely different people, Lucy marveled. She could only see traces of the people who she saw every day at the guild. Laxus still mocked and taunted. Evergreen was still obsessed with her image as a fairy. Fried was still elegant and way too attached to Laxus. But it was like everyone had turned down a dial or something. Everything was less, except there seemed to be more laughter. Evergreen didn't seem quite so haughty with a fish in her face, and Bixlow was far less creepy when he wasn't constantly displaying his guild mark. Fried seemed more relaxed, taking off his red coat and rolling up his sleeves like a civilian business man would at the end of a long day.

And Laxus! She'd often wondered why the three would be so devoted to the man. Laxus talked more often in five minutes that night than she'd seen since she'd met him. He was intelligent beyond belief, and fiercely proud of his guild. He was so much more laid-back than she'd ever seen him, and far less intimidating, though he was still kind of awkward.

Lucy got the chance to ask Evergreen about it, when Laxus went for a walk, and the other two men had fallen asleep. The bright fire was down to glowing embers by now, but that was enough for the two women to see each other's faces, so it was still light enough to talk by while Ever was on watch and Lucy happened to be awake – she'd woken up when Laxus left rather noisily.

"Evergreen?" The older mage didn't acknowledge that she'd heard, but continued to stare ahead at nothing.

"I was just wondering...about Fantasia," Lucy continued, though she was scared that the other woman was offended by the question. She needn't have worried.

"It's okay, Lucy. Other mages have asked already. You're wondering why we followed him?" Lucy nodded softly. Evergreen was silent for some time, gathering her thoughts. Finally, she spoke.

"Do you trust Natsu?" Lucy was startled by the abrupt change in subject, but she answered anyway, without hesitation.

"Of course."

"Is he important to you?" Lucy thought about that one for a second. Yes, he's important to me, she thought happily.

"Yes."

"Would you help him, if he asked?"

"Yeah, sure."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what. He's my nakama and my partner."

Evergreen looked at her shrewdly. "Then you understand."

"I'm lost," Lucy shook her head, confused. What did her relationship with Natsu have to do with any of this? Evergreen sighed and stared again at the dying fire. To the young stellar spirit mage, she suddenly looked years older.

"If Natsu took it into his head that the Master truly wasn't doing what was best for the guild, would you argue with him?" Lucy thought for a long time, knowing it was a serious question.

"I'd try to persuade him otherwise," she said slowly.

"And if he didn't agree? If he became sad and worried for the guild, and finally decided that the only way to save the guild was to become Master, would you help him when he asked?"

Lucy froze, realizing where the older female mage was coming from. She knew, in that moment, what her answer would be, because Natsu is important to her, and she'd trust him with her life and the life of the guild.

"Yes." The word seemed so tiny that the woman swallowed and said it again. "Yes, I would help him."

"You would. Because he is your nakama, right? Even if you didn't agree with him, you'd help him anyway, because that's what it means to be family. That's the mindset that Fried, Bixlow, and I had. The Battle of Fairy Tail was for the greater good of the guild, to rule out the weak mages not fit to be called Fairy Tail. Laxus believed it was the only way, and we followed because we were the top mages in Fairy Tail, and we are his family, the only family he could trust at the time. If we hadn't been there, he probably would have tried it on his own. He might have gotten seriously injured.

"We were his family, his only family. We couldn't turn our backs on him, it wasn't possible. Could you ever turn your back on Natsu if he needed you? If he were desperate and in need of help and so convinced he was right?"

Lucy shook her head, slowly. Then she embraced Evergreen from behind, arms tightening around her waist.

"I'm sorry, Ever. I'm sorry I've been so scared of all of you, when you were protecting your important people." Evergreen smiled ruefully, unseen by Lucy.

"I'm sorry I gave you nightmares." Lucy stiffened, and then hugged her with more strength. How did she know? Lucy had been very careful not to let a even a shadow of her nightmares cross her face or influence her actions this entire time. Nightmares in which she screamed and no one heard her, trapped forever in stone. Where she was burnt to a crisp with a flick of Laxus's hand on a whim, or in constant agony from Fried's runes – she'd heard about the pain from Cana, during a quiet moment of the S-Class exams before the disaster that was Tenroujima.

She hadn't had any that night, when she was sleeping earlier. Her slumber had been filled with good, happy dreams filled with friends from Fairy Tail, including Laxus and the Raijinshuu.

They were silent for a while, Lucy's arms still wrapped around Evergreen's waist, both of them staring into the embers.

"Take care of him, okay?" Evergreen said suddenly, her soft words bouncing around the quiet clearing. Lucy let go of her and sat down on the log, her eyebrows furrowed in a lack of understanding.

"What do you mean?" Ever sighed, pulling her hair so it fell down around her shoulders, and ran her hands through it.

"He's anti-social and a bit of a loner, but he's not as self-assured and arrogant as he seems. Don't hurt him," the fairy warned.

"I...you mean Laxus? Why would you think-" Evergreen silenced her questions with a hard stare.

"You're not stupid, and I'm not stupid. Laxus has grown fond of you, and seeing the change in you today, can you honestly say you don't like him that way? As more than family?"

Lucy stopped, and thought, and then tried not to freak out. Somehow, between that warm hand on her shoulder and the glow that came from a dying fire lit by lightning, she'd gone way past thinking of Laxus as a distant, scary relative.

Lucy immediately dragged up all the images she could of the lightning dragon-slayer. All she could think of was him saving her, him avenging her, him teasing her by the campfire, his smile, his laugh.

She'd fallen in love with him in a single night. Was that even possible?

Ever attempted not to laugh at the look on the younger mage's face, or tease her for her obliviousness. She tried especially hard not to rub her own perceptiveness in Lucy's face.

Lucy suddenly dove into her sleeping bag and pulled it up over her head in a flash.

A second after that, Laxus stepped back into the clearing. He turned to Evergreen, a question clear on his handsome face.

"She's sleeping." Laxus grunted. That didn't really answer his question. What he'd wanted to know was why she'd scrambled for her sleeping bag and pretended to be asleep when he came within earshot of the clearing. He glared at Ever. She sighed, ignoring him, and rolled out her own sleeping bag. Laxus grumpily sat down with his back to her, prepared to take watch. Evergreen stared at his broad shoulders, slumped over as he sat on the log, until she fell asleep.

Find your happiness, Laxus, she thought sleepily. I helped, because I'm your friend, but now it's all up to you. This girl could make you happy. I hope you see that someday.

Alright, so it's not what I'd do, personally, but Evergreen wrote herself. I didn't get any sort of choice. If I did, and Laxus couldn't be with Lucy, I'd have him with Cana, because I don't actually like Evergreen as a character. She's shallow and vain.

And phew. 11 and a half pages for a one-shot. I hope you know you will never, ever get anything this long for 50 Moments, and the multi-chapter will not have chapters this long. This is ridiculous, brain. I mean, half of it's one-sided!

Read and review, even if this is a little bit different. I don't know what to call this. Humor? Drama? Angst? Family? Friendship?

~Jade.